Lee Chong Wei marked his return to competitive badminton action by inspiring Malaysia to a narrow 3-2 victory over South Korea in the Sudirman Cup.
Despite being out of action for almost eight months, his crucial win in the men’s singles allowed them to get their Sudirman Cup campaign off to a solid start.
Men’s doubles pair Goh V Shem and Tan Wee Kiong gave Malaysia the advantage by beating South Korean pair Lee Yong Dae and Ko Sung Hyun in a three-set thriller.
But South Korea equalized to make it 1-1 as Sung Ji Hyun claimed a massive 21-9, 21-7 win over Lim Yin Fun in over 34 minutes.
Lee Chong Wei then stepped on the court, and easily dispatched Lee Dong Keun 21-12, 21-10 to put Malaysia ahead for the second time. But women’s doubles pair Vivian Hoo and Woon Khe Wei presented a rather disappointing performance as they lost two straight sets to Chang Ye Na and Jung Kyung Eun 22-20, 21-9.
Thanks to Chan Peng Soon and Goh Yiu Ling from the mixed doubles section, Malaysia eventually secured a 3-2 win as they rallied hard to defeat Kim Ha Na and Ko Sung Hyun in the tiebreaker.
“I am happy with how I played even though I have not step food into the court for almost seven months. This is my first game, so I hope that I can continue to play better,” said Chong Wei in an interview with Astro Arena.
In Group 1C, Denmark stunned the crowd with a 4-1 win over England.
Photo credits: New Straits Times
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