Lee Chong Wei has moved into the quarter-final of the Hong Kong Open, where he is now set to face Chen Long in a repeat of their China Open final bout last weekend.
The 33 year-old comfortably cruised past Germany’s Marc Zwiebler in straight sets, winning 21-12, 21-12. Chen Long on the other hand, needed the rubber set to seal a tight win over Thailand’s Boonsak Ponsana.
According to Malaysian singles’ coach Tey Seu Bock, Chong Wei intends to treat his next showdown with Chen Long, like any other ordinary badminton game, to avoid putting too much pressure on himself.
“Chong Wei doesn’t want to think too much about last week. Just because he defeated Chen Long last week, doesn’t mean he can do it again easily this time around,” he told Utusan Malaysia.
“He wants to take each game as it comes, so the match against Chen Long is just another game for him. He is jaded after competing in two straight tournaments, but either way, he has to focus and deliver, today,” he added.
Chong Wei’s recent form has allowed him to move into 6th place on the BWF World Rankings, with Chen Long extending his tenure on top. Jan O Jorgensen is ranked second, Lin Dan is third, with Kento Momota in fourth and Viktor Axelsen in fifth.
Meanwhile, Chong Wei’s other nemesis, Lin Dan, suffered a surprising defeat at the hands of Ng Ka Long yesterday, losing 8-21, 18-21.
Chong Wei recent form has helped him moved to 6th place in the World ranking as Chen Long retained his no.1 spot, followed by Jan O Jorgensen in second place, Lin Dan in third, Kento Momota in fourth and Viktor Axelsen in fifth place.
