Malaysian superstar Lee Chong Wei beat Japanese shuttler Kento Momota 21-17, 23-21 on Sunday to clinch the Malaysia Open (700.000 Dollars) title for a sensational 12th time.
"There was some pressure for me to win this tournament," Lee told reporters at the Axiata Arena.
"Now I have won the Malaysia Open for the 12th time. I hope this will encourage me to do well at the World Championships and Asian Games.“
The Malaysian Open victory is Chong Wei's first tournament victory of the season. For his triumph on home soil, Chong Wei pocketed US$ 49,000 while Momota received US$23,800.
Tai Tzu Ying defends title
Taiwan’s top badminton player and world no 1 Tai Tzu-ying grabbed the women’s singles title with straight victory over China’s He Bingjiao.
“In the second game, she made a lot of errors at the start, so I pulled away to an 11-1 lead. She wanted to close the gap, but it was too much pressure on her,” Tai said to local newspaper Taipei Times.
Tai had also won the title last year.
In the mixed doubles, Chinese fourth seeds Zheng Siwei and Huang Yaqiong edged out their second-seeded compatriots Wang Yilyu and Huang Dongping 21-19, 21-18.
Japan enjoyed a successful day by winning two titles. In the women's doubles, Misaki Matsutomo and Ayaka Takahashi, the fifth seeds, eased past China's top seeds Chen Qingchen and Jia Yifan 21-12, 21-12.
In the men's doubles, sixth seeds Takeshi Kamura and Keigo Sonoda dominated the unseeded Hiroyuki Endo and Yuta Watanabe 21-8, 21-10.
Malaysia Open finals results:
MS: Lee Chong Wei (MAS) - Kento Momota (JPN) 21-17, 23-21
WS: Tai Tzu Ying (TPE) - He Bingjiao (CHN) 22-20, 21-11
MD: Takeshi Kamura/Keigo Sonoda (JPN) - Hiroyuki Endo/Yuta Watanabe (JPN) 21-8, 21-10
WD: Misaki Matsutomo/Ayaka Takahashi (JPN) - Chen Qingchen/Jia Yifan (CHN) 21-12, 21-12
XD: Zheng Siwei/Huang Yaqiong (CHN) - Wang Yilyu/Huang Dongping (CHN) 21-19, 21-18