National badminton player Lee Chong Wei has set foot to the third round of the US Open Grand Prix Gold after defeating Denmark’s Rasmus Fladberg in the Suffolk County Community College, New York yesterday.
The former number one took only 33 minutes to oust Fladberg in straight sets with scores of 21-13 and 21-11. He is set to play against Guo Kai of China in the next round.
With the absence of big names and top seeds in the tournament, it is assumed that the 33 year-old will not be facing any problem to clinch his first GP Championship title since his suspension.
National men’s singles coach, Hendrawan, had claimed that despite the absence of top seeds, he wishes for Chong Wei to focus in every tournament as it has been a long time since he has played on the court.
Hendrawan had also explained that the reason for Chong Wei to participate in the US Open and the next one in Canada is to mainly improve his ranking and increase his chance to qualify in the 2016 Rio Olympics.
“If he wins, it’s better for Chong Wei because he gets to improve his ranking quickly,” said Hendrawan as quoted from Utusan.
“The championship is also a medium for him to prepare for the World Championships in Jakarta this August, because that it Chong Wei’s main focus this year,” he added.
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