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There was no surprise to poor performance of Koo Kien Kat and Tan Boon Heong in the 2011 Super Series Finals.  The hectic coaching rotation and little tension with their old coach brought some upsets and waves to their training calendar.  Yet, the expectation of this fifth world ranking pair was semi finals, which we all know it was not happening.

However, the expectation for Datuk Lee Chong Wei is not semi finals or even finalist.  He has to win and proofs himself to be the best in 2011.  Yet, his destiny is not within reach.  Chinese badminton hopeful, Chen Long, shockingly stopped  world No. 1 Lee Chong Wei of Malaysia in the semifinals of the BWF World Superseries Finals 21-16, 16-21, 21-18. 

The 22-year-old Chen Long is obviously in the form of his life at the moment.  He controlled the tempo of the match and almost made no mistakes on the court. His victory and his recent sound performance sent a message to the world that he has indeed broken the Lee Chong Wei-Lin Dan stranglehold and he should now be the player to watch.

Every successful man fails at some time, even "Grand Slam" winner Lin was stunned by an unheralded player in his opener at the Athens Olympic Games, Chen is definitely not excluded.

In his maiden worlds journey this August, he suffered an unbelievable loss in the first round to Kevin Cordon from the Central American republic of Guatemala.

However, failure tells you about your weaknesses, shortcomings and lack of preparations. "It's my first world championships. After this I have the chance to get more experience."

Just like what Chen said, the failure in the worlds is not an end, but a start.

After the worlds, Chen made a strong comeback, winning China Masters, Japan Open and Denmark Open in a row to join an elite bunch of shuttlers who win three consecutive BWF World Superseries crowns. The world No. 3 has also outshone four-time world champion Lin, who has only back-to-back Superseries titles.

A down-to-earth Chen kept clam after the win in Denmark. "This is just a normal tournament, I do my best in each match."

Chen did what he said afterwards by entering the semifinals of all the tournaments he participated, including the on-going Finals.

In the season-ending event which is open to the top eight shuttlers in the world, Chen joined the group A along with Lin, former Olympic champion Hidayat Taufik of Indonesia and Japan's Tago Kenichi.

Chen stretched Lin in the opening match to three sets before losing the close match 21-15, 19-21, 21-17, but he was too good to Taufik and Kenichi, winning the next two matches to enter the last four.

In Saturday's semifinals, Chen proved once again his capability by defeating Lee for the third time in 2011. Lee highly commended Chen's performance, saying Chen was the second biggest opponent of him besides Lin.

Talking about his tips in such a miraculous comeback, Chen said, "it's nothing special, I just try to be more active on the court and be more patient when lagging behind. I'm still young and my physical condition is good."

It was designed to revenge his defeat last week in 2011 Hong Kong Open.  Yet, it is another losing record for Chong Wei. 

The world number one player could not maintain his performance after he captured the first set, 21-19.  Lin Dan played calm and deceptive to end Chong Wei's hope 21-12 and 21-11.  This is the second time for Chong Wei to miss the final stage of international badminton event this year and his back to back lost to same player in the same month.

On the other end, Chen Long easily wins his match of Simon Santoso (Indonesia) in straight set 21-14 21-14. Chen Long is aiming for his forth super-series title this year, while his final opponent, Lin Dan has two titles.  Neither can catch Chong Wei, who has a season leading five Superseries tournament victories from wins in the Malaysia Open, All England, India Open, Indonesia Open and French Open, but at stake is second spot in the OSIM BWF World Superseries rankings.  In the world ranking, Chen Long is currently second with 71,980 points, 1,690 points ahead of Lin Dan. Chong Wei is far ahead with 82,520 points.

It was the peak of the 2011 French Open.  Many people still could not believe the number one player in the world could lost so easy to second tier player, Chen Long from China.  The tragic was even more convincing in which Chen Long beat Lee Chong Wei in straight set last week in 2011 Denmark Open.  This evening the fierce battle began again between this two ultimate show down.  However, this time Lee Chong Wei showed his supremacy by winning the match with the score of 23-21 17-21 21-15.

On the other court, another exciting match was also happening between Kenichi Tago (Japan) and Lin Dan (China). Lin Dan was leading Japan’s Kenichi Tago 25-23, 18-15 when he injured himself, thus handing an unexpected final appearance to the former All England finalist

This is the fifth time in the past 10 months that the reigning Olympic and Asian Games gold medalist has had to concede a walkover or retire hurt in OSIM BWF World Super Series tournaments.

Lin Dan’s run of bad luck began last December when he withdrew from the quarter-finals of the Hong Kong and China Opens just before playing Vietnam’s Nguyen Tien Minh and Chen Long respectively.

Then in January, he pulled out of the Proton Malaysia Open Super Series with an abdominal muscle injury when he was due to play Chen Long.

The biggest blow came in the final of the Singapore in June when he had to hand the title to teammate Chen Jin as he felt ill after drinking too much cold water after his semi-final victory over Peter Gade.

Last month, at the Japan Open, the skin of his left foot came off after a tough match against Chen Jin and Lin Dan had to give a walkover to Chen Long in the semi-finals.

Meanwhile, China will keep the women’s singles and doubles title after dominating the semi-finals of both events.

In the women’s singles, world No. 3 Wang Xin, who is chasing back-to-back Super Series titles, came back from an opening game loss to defeat Thailand’s Porntip Buranaprasertsuk.

Porntip, who won her country’s first ever women’s singles Superseries title when she won the India Open in May, stunned her Chinese opponent with a 21-15 victory in the opening game.

However, that win took a lot out of Porntip and she was a spent force as Wang Xin cruised to the next two games, winning 21-4, 21-7 to book her ticket to the final.

Waiting for her in Sunday’s title decider is Li Xuerui, who ousted giantkiller Tai Tzu Ying in straight games. Tzu Ying, who defeated world No. 1 and world champion Wang Yihan in the quarter-finals, had no answer to Li Xuerui’s attacking play and fell 21-8, 21-19.

Her victory meant China will win the women’s singles title for the ninth time in 10 OSIM BWF World Superseries tournaments this year. The only time they missed out was at the India Open which they didn’t enter.

Likewise, Chinese women have won the doubles crown eight times out of the nine previous Superseries tournaments and on Saturday, world champions Wang Xiaoli-Yu Yang and Tian Qing-Zhao Yunlei made sure the crown will stay in Chinese hands when they won their respective semi-final matches.

Wang Xiaoli-Yu Yang, survived a wobble in the second game before beating Japanese third seeds Mizuki Fujii-Reika Kakiiwa 21-8, 22-20. Tian Qing-Zhao Yunlei, meanwhile, received a walkover from South Korea’s Ha Jung Eun-Kim Min Jung.

Last month, the concentration was on the men double squads.  Koo & Tan were prioritized to pump their mediocre performance.  Shifting and hiring new coaches were in horizon.  Yet, the results in Denmark Open 2011 was not reflecting the efforts.  In fact, they lost to secondary pair from South Korea, Gun Woo Cho & Ti Goo Kwon in 3 sets.

Now, it is the most unpredictable and embarrassing outcome.  Chen Long convincingly stopped Chong Wei back to back.  Even worst in Denmark Open 2011, Chen Long showed his superiority by winning the match in straight set.  Chen Long is just 22 while Chong Wei is 29 and despite the latter's superior skills and experience, Chong Wei will have to admit that he struggles against younger opponents.  Chen Long is physically stronger and has also learned well from compatriot Lin Dan on how to neutralize Chong Wei and thorough preparation is needed if he is to sink China's top players.

It didn't help that the BA of Malaysia (BAM) staged the National Grand Prix Finals on Oct 12-15 where Chong Wei secured a 10th national title but had to leave for Denmark that very night. He played his first match on Oct 19.

It is arguable that the field in the local event is too weak and Chong Wei had a stroll but he was also going through his training while the rest just competed in the GP Finals.

BAM's decision to stage the Kedah Open just 10 days before Chong Wei and the other national shuttlers traveled to Bath, England for a one-week training stint before the World Championships in London also left a lot to be desired. 

Chong Wei aggravated his back injury in Kedah and only resumed training two weeks later and, not surprisingly, he fell short in the World Championships final against Lin Dan.

National singles coach Tey Seu Bock had said that Chong Wei wasn't comfortable playing Chen Long who outplays his opponents through sheer physical strength rather than skill.

"Chong Wei is not comfortable playing Chen Long because he is physically very tough and a good retriever. His recovery is very good and manages to battle with Chong Wei rally after rally," said Seu Bock in a telephone interview from Odense yesterday.

"The best way to beat him (Chen Long) is to be well prepared and I would say he (Chong Wei) did not have much time after the Japan Open.

"The situation now is juggling between Olympic qualification and quality training. At the moment, he needs to collect Olympic points and at the end of the year, we have to put him through a longer period of quality training."

The coach added: "Chong Wei is an excellent shuttler but sometimes we forget that he is already 29 and it might take longer to recover from tough matches compared to players like Chen Long.

"Chen Long had a tough second round but received a walkover from Jan Jorgensen (of Denmark) and this was followed by an easy semi-final win, so he was fresh in the final."

Chong Wei will probably get about four weeks to prepare for the Korea Open (Jan 3-8) and Malaysia Open (Jan 10-15) and about six weeks before the All England in March. The break will be important for his build-up towards the Olympics.

Chong Wei should limit his tournaments after the All England and spend sufficient time on his Olympics preparation. 

There will be another opportunity for Chong Wei to avenge his defeat in the French Open where he is likely to play Chen Long in the last four in Paris on Saturday but the Malaysian must be prepared if his young rival has the upper hand again.

It is better to lose the battle but win the war against China in the London Olympics next year.

As for men's doubles Koo Kien Keat-Tan Boon Heong, only time will tell if they can be transformed into a formidable pair again by new coach Pang Cheh Chang.

The bonus, however, will be on Kien Keat-Boon Heong who must play with confidence and work harder to regain their form.

World No 1 Lee Chong Wei suffered another heartbreak at the hands of China’s Chen Long when he lost 15-21, 18-21 in the men’s singles final of the Denmark Open here yesterday.  And immediately after the loss, Chong Wei declared that the 22-year-old Chen Long has now become a genuine challenger aside from Lin Dan of China for next year’s Olympic Games in London.

Chong Wei had hoped for a revenge after losing to Chen Long in the final of the Japan Open last month but to his surprise, the Chinese turned out to be a much tougher opponent.

While the Malaysian was slower than usual, the Chinese took full control of the match from the start with his excellent court coverage, superiority at the net and solid attacking play.

Undoubtly, top seed Chong Wei had some good tricks up his sleeve but it was Chen Long, who had held all the aces to romp home a convincing winner in straight games.

It was Chong Wei’s 10th final of the year but probably his weakest performances so far.

The Malaysian was disappointed that the world number three Chen Long had prevented him from winning his seventh title twice in a month. Chong Wei had won six titles – the Super Series Masters Finals, Malaysia Open, All-England, India Open, Malaysia Open Grand Prix Gold and Indonesia Open this year

“I have to admit that he has turned out to be a tough opponent for me. He is so full of confidence and it has just become tougher to beat him,” said a dejected Chong Wei, who just turned 29th on Friday.

“He had read my game well. He displays better control and makes less mistakes. His game has become more polished.

“Right now, he has become a real challenger for me for the Olympic Games. My rival is no longer Lin Dan alone,” said Chong Wei.

Despite the setback, Chong Wei is ready to make amends at the France Open which begins in Paris on Wednesday.

“My priority is the major event. I will stay focused and try to bounce back from this defeat. Even Lin Dan lost to a unheralded player here in Denmark. So, it is time to put this defeat behind and stay focused in what is more important to me – the Olympic Games next year,” he added.

China, also went back home with two other titles when they maintain their supremacy in the women’s events when Wang Xin and Wang Xiaoli-Yu Yang bagged the singles and doubles titles events respectively.

However, the badminton powerhouse were denied from making a clean sweep when Denmark’s Joachim Fischer Nielsen-Christinna Pedersen and Lee Yong-dae-Jung Jae-sung emerged as the mixed doubles and men’s doubles champions respectively.

Chen Long grabbed his first ever Superseries Premier title when he defeated world No. 1 Lee Chong Wei of Malaysia 21-15, 21-18 at the Odense Sports Park

By winning his third consecutive OSIM BWF World Superseries crown, Chen Long now joins compatriots Zheng Bo, Gao Ling, Cai Yun, Fu Haifeng, Ma Jin and Yu Yang, South Korea’s Jung Jae Sung-Lee Yong Dae, Indonesia’s Sony Dwi Kuncoro and Chong Wei as the only players to win three Superseries titles on the trot.

A down-to-earth Chen Long, who won back-to-back titles in China and Japan last month, said: “This is just a normal tournament for me. I do my best in each match. It was great (playing in Denmark) and the fans were really enthusiastic.”

The world No. 3 has also outshone four-time world champion Lin Dan, who has only once recorded back-to-back Superseries titles – at the 2007 Korea Open and All England.

In Sunday’s final, Chen Long was determined to prove to the world his victory over Chong Wei in last month’s Japan Open was no fluke.

Chen Long controlled the tempo of the match and never allowed his opponent the time and space to launch many attacks. His victory sent a message to the world that he has indeed broken the Chong Wei-Lin Dan stranglehold and he should now be the player to watch.

His 49-minute victory on Sunday meant Chen Long has narrowed the gap on Chong Wei to 4-3 and closes the gap at the top of the world rankings.

Final Results:
Men
Singles: Chen Long (China) bt Lee Chong Wei 21-15, 21-18.
Doubles: Jung Jae Sung-Lee Yong Dae (Korea) bt Cai Yun-Fu Haifeng (China) 21-16, 21-17.

Women
Singles: Wang Xin (China) bt Wang Yihan 21-14, 23-21.
Doubles: Wang Xiaoli-Yu Yang (China) bt Tian Qing-Zhao Yunlei (China) 22-20, 21-16.                   

Mixed doubles: Joachim Fischer Nielsen-Christinna Pedersen (Denmark) bt Xu Chen-Ma Jin (China) 22-20, 21-16

Chen Long will have the perfect opportunity to join an elite group of shuttlers to win three consecutive Superseries titles when he plays in the US$400,000 Yonex Denmark Open Superseries Premier this week.

The Chinese ace took the last two OSIM BWF World Superseries tournaments in China and Japan and will be hoping to join 10 other players who have won three consecutive crowns in the elite badminton series.

Zheng Bo-Gao Ling were the first players to claim a hattrick when they won the mixed doubles title in the Malaysia, Korea and All England Opens in 2007. They then repeat the feat in the same year by winning the Indonesia Open, China Masters and Japan Open.

Four-time world champions Cai Yun-Fu Haifeng also made it three-in-a-row in 2007 when they stormed to the Singapore and Indonesia Opens as well as the China Masters.

A year later, Indonesia’s Sony Dwi Kuncoro became the first non-Chinese player to win three Superseries crowns when he triumphed in the Indonesia Open, China Masters and Japan Open.

Later that year, South Korea’s Jung Jae Sung-Lee Yong Dae, won the last two tournaments of the season in China and Hong Kong and followed that up by winning the 2009 Malaysia Open.

Zheng Bo was back to his familiar tricks when he partnered Ma Jin to the mixed doubles gold medals at the 2009 Switzerland, Singapore and Indonesia Opens.

Jae Sung-Yong Dae were back on form at the end of the season, successfully defending their Hong Kong and China Opens crowns before winning the season opening Korea Open in 2010.

That season also belonged to Malaysia’s Lee Chong Wei who won the first three events of 2010, taking the top prize at the Korea, Malaysia and All England Opens.

China’s Yu Yang also claimed three titles in the women’s doubles that year, albeit, with different partners. She won the Malaysia and All England crowns with Du Jing, before partnering Tian Qing to top spot at the Swiss Open.

Standing in Chen Long’s way are the usual suspects, world No. 1 Lee Chong Wei, whom the Chinese ace is scheduled to meet in the final, if he gets past four-time world champion Lin Dan in the semi-finals.

Chen Long, however, is on a high after beating both players in Japan and will be looking to reassert his authority on badminton’s world order.

Over at the women’s singles China’s three Wangs – Wang Yihan, Wang Shixian and Wang Xin – will once again start as favourites with Europeans Tine Baun of Denmark and Juliane Schenk of Germany, along with India’s Saina Nehwal looking to play the role of spoilers.

With all the world’s top players in action in both the singles and doubles competitions, expect plenty of fireworks and perhaps even some fairy tale endings in the birthplace of master storyteller Hans Christian Andersen.