If you were at the Perpaduan Stadium in Kuching over the weekend, you probably had high hopes of watching Datuk Lee Chong Wei outclass Lin Dan and clinch his 12th Malaysian Open title.
But the unpredictable nature of badminton triumphed yet again, as Lin Dan turned on the style to seal an easy win over his perennial rival. Two sets was all it took, and Lin Dan’s dominance was particularly evident in the second set, where he notched a 21-14 win to wrap up the affair.
Chong Wei though, isn’t perturbed. According to Hendrawan, the Malaysian badminton star is fully aware of the constant need for stylistic and tactical evolution within the sport – claiming that they will be working on new strategies ahead of the World Championship in Glasgow, later this year.
“The defeat against Lin Dan definitely taught us some valuable lessons. We will be actively working towards dealing with several weaknesses that I’ve identified in Chong Wei’s game,” Hendrawan told Harian Metro.
“There’ll definitely be some form of change to help him do well at the World Championship in Glasgow. We will add something new to his style of play. I’ll try to think of new methods for him to diversify his approach on the court.
“But we have to remember that as a shuttler, Chong Wei already has his own identity. Not all changes will go well with his style, so we’ve got to discuss and make this decision carefully,” he added.
Chong Wei’s next challenge will be the Badminton Asia Championship, which is set to be held in China later this month.
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