Korean Shon stuns Lee to bag title
Unseeded South Korean Wan Ho Shon capped his superb run in the India Open badminton tournament with an upset win over top-seeded Malaysian Lee Chong Wei in the men's singles final on Sunday. Shon, who also qualified for the London Olympics, won 21-18, 14-21, 21-19 in a 66-minute thriller, which ended when world number one and defending champion Lee netted a service return. The South Korean, who upset second seed Peter Gade of Denmark in the quarter-finals, then threw his racquet into the stands while celebrating his first victory over the Malaysian in five matches. "I was very confident as I had nothing to lose. It was the best match I played in the tournament," the 23-year-old Shon said through an interpreter after claiming his maiden Super Series title. Lee conceded the South Korean played a better game in the final. "He (Shon) played really well today. He had already caused an upset in the tournament and was brilliant again today," said Lee, who was coming back from a shoulder injury. "I think I also played well, but didn't win the crucial points." Second-seeded Chinese Li Xuerui overcame the opening-game loss to record a 14-21, 21-17, 21-8 win over sixth-seeded German Juliane Schenk in the 47-minute women's singles final. Schenk, who defeated top seed Wang Shixian of China in the quarter-finals, started impressively as she always looked in control in the opening game but Li came back strongly in the next two. The German fought well in the second game after trailing 4-14 at one stage, but failed to match her Chinese rival in the decider as she could earn just eight points. "I was on top in the first game and the second was really close. I think a few errors made the difference. She played well after losing the first game," said Schenk. "But I am satisfied with what I did in the tournament." Thailand's Bodin Issara and Maneepong Jongjit won the men's doubles title when they beat second-seeded Koreans Sung Hyun Ko and Yeon Seong Yoo 21-17, 14-21, 21-14. Sixth-seeded South Koreans Kyung Eun Jung and Ha Na Kim needed 50 minutes to claim the women's doubles title, beating Chinese Bao Yixin and Zhong Qianxin 21-17, 21-18. In the mixed doubles final, second-seeded Indonesians Tontowi Ahmad and Liliyana Natsir recorded a 21-16, 12-21, 21-14 victory over Thailand's Sudket Prapakamol and Saralee Thoungthongkam.
