BIRMINGHAM, March 10 (Xinhua) -- Chinese shuttler Chen Long beat the world No. 1 Lee Chong Wei of Malaysia here at men's singles final on Sunday to claim his first All England Open title.
Chen fought two sets to finish the task, but the match cost an hour with long rallies and fast exchanges. They ran, jump and sweat, while the spectators cheered and waved national flags.
Chen collected seven points in a row before Lee could impose challenge to him. The Malaysian seemed impatient, making several mistakes and trailed 5-11 by the interval.
Back to court, the 31-year-old twice champion tried to dominate, cutting the deficit to just two points with quick smashes and clears with landing points well calculated.
Chen, 1.88 meters tall, maneuvered the shots to different angles to have his opponent run as much as possible. At last Lee lashed the shuttle into the net to lose the set 17-21.
The Chinese player started well again in the second set, enjoying a comfortable lead of 11-6 at the interval. But a sharper Lee managed to fight back. The duo soon got tied from 14-14 to 18-18.
The 24-year-old Chen then got the match point after a diagonal killer and a lapse of the Malaysian. He grasped the chance to speed up attacks. Lee served the shuttle to the net again, letting the chance of his third All England Open title slip away.
After the match, Lee appeared depressed, picking up the shuttle on the court, while Chen knelt down, clenching his fists to celebrate.
"I am very happy to win this tournament, and it has given me a lot of experience to beat a player like Lee Chong Wei here. It is very important for my career to win here," Chen Long said.
During their previous 12 encounters, Lee won seven times. But in their latest match in Hong Kong, China at the end of last year, he lost to Chen 0-2.
Talking about his performance, Lee said, "I gave my best but there were a lot of mistakes in the first set, so I am very upset with myself for that."
He felt frustrated in the match. "I hit a lot of shots that I knew were impossible for Chen Long to return, but he managed to get them back," he said. "I lost a lot of confidence."
But he swore that this couldn't be the end of the game. "I know I have lost to him today but I am going to try and try again to beat this player," he added.