Chen, Lee stage duel for RP Open crown

Chen Hong of China and Lee Chong Wei of Malaysia pulled off contrasting results yesterday to set up an interesting finals showdown between the top two men’s singles seeds in the Bingo Bonanza Philippine Open Badminton Championships at the Philsports Arena.

Chen, ranked second in the world, dazzled ninth pick Park Sung Hwan of Korea with a variety of shots to hack out a 21-16, 21-19 win while Lee, the World No. 3, didn’t break a sweat after No. 6 Sony Dwi Kuncoro of Indonesia withdrew due to lower back spasms to arrange today’s title duel.

The 30-year-old Fujian native said the key was setting the tempo.

“I know he’s an up-and-coming player,” said Chen through an interpreter, referring to Park, who owns a 2-1 lead in his head-to-head with world No. 1 Lin Dan of China including a victory in the Proton Malaysia Super Series last January.

“That’s why I dictated the pace, and varied my shots a lot of times,” he added. “If not for my errors, the score would not have been close.”

Chen, who is hoping to add a second major title this year next to the Thailand Open crown he won two weeks back, goes into his match with Lee ahead, 5-4, in their own head-to-head battle.

What is alarming though is that Lee bested Chen in their last three matches – the Djarum Indonesia Super Series last May and the Macau Open and Yonex All England Open last year.

But Chen, who is egged on by more than a hundred balloon-flapping Filipino-Chinese fans, isn’t wary.

“I will just enjoy my game and give my best against him (Lee),” said Chen.

In women’s action, Zhou Mi of Hong Kong turned back a hard-fighting Juliane Schenk of Germany, 21-14, 17-21, 21-12, to clinch the first championship berth in unique women’s singles division where no seeds made it this far.

Zhou, the world No. 54, will be gunning for her fourth title this year following victories in the New Zealand Open last May, the Miami Pan-American last April and the Thailand Open Grand Prix early this month.

But she would have to do it with blisters in her right foot she sustained during her quarterfinal game with Yu Hirayama of Japan, whom she beat, 21-16, 21-14, to forge a semis duel with Schenk, a 21-17, 19-21, 21-13 winner over No. 3 Yip Pui Yin of China.

 Zhou faces China’s Zhu Jing Jing, who continued her giant-slaying ways by beating Adriyanti Firdasari of Indonesia, 21-13, 22-20.

In women’s doubles, top seed Chien Yu Chin and Cheng Wen Hsing of Chinese Taipei overcame a serious challenge from Jo Novita and Greysia Polii of Indonesia in the second set to carve out a 21-17, 24-22 win. They dispute the title with China’s Pan Pan and Tian Qing, who stunned No. 6 Miyuki Maeda Miyuki and Satoko Suetsuna of Japan, 21-12, 11-21, 21-9.

Also barging into the finals was the mixed doubles pair of No. 5 Hwang Yu Mi and Han Sang Hoon of Korea, who shocked No. 2 Vita Marissa and Flandy Limpele of Indonesia, 21-14, 15-21, 21-14.

Men’s doubles top seed Kien Keat Koo and Boon Heong Tan of Malaysia made short work of Han Sang Hoon and Cho Gun Woo of Korea, 21-4, 21-12, while unseeded Guo Zhendong and Xie Zhongbo of China grounded No. 4 Albertus Susanto Njoto and Yohan Hadikusumo Wiratama of Hong Kong, 21-17, 21-17, to enter the finals.