Chong Wei raring to begin new year after roller-coaster 2017

PETALING JAYA: Lee Chong Wei failed to end the season on a high after going down to Denmark’s Viktor Axelsen at the World Superseries Finals in Dubai.

But all is not lost as the 35-yearold shuttler showed he can still give his younger opponents a run for their money.

Chong Wei toiled for one hour and 24 minutes before going down 21-19, 19-21, 21-15 in the final at the Hamdan Sport Complex.

Chong Wei traded blow for blow before finally giving in to his young- er opponent.

The Malaysian could have won in straight games when he scored five points in a row to level at 19-19 but the stubborn 23-year-old Dane hung on to force the decider and went on to seal the title.

It was Chong Wei’s third defeat to the world champion this year.

He also lost to Axelsen at last year’s World Superseries Finals (group stage) and the Japan Open final in June.

The defeat also saw the Malaysian missing out on a chance to dislodge Axelsen’s No. 1 spot in the world ranking.

Chong Wei admitted he lost to a better player.

“Axelsen played very well. I pushed him to all corners but he was not ruffled,” said Chong Wei.

“The service judge’s call also affected my game as she faulted me three times.

“Anyway, there’s always something to learn in every defeat. I also learned that I still have the confidence to play good badminton.

“It has been a year of ups and downs for me.

“I was disappointed with my first round defeat at the World Championships in Glasgow (Scotland) in August but it’s good that I won the All-England (in March) and the Hong Kong Open (in November).”

Chong Wei will start the new season with the Malaysian Masters at the Axiata Arena in Bukit Jalil from Jan 9-16.

Then, there is the Thomas Cup qualifiers in Alor Setar from Feb 6-12 and the Finals in Bangkok in May. His other assignments include the Commonwealth Games in Gold Coast (Australia in April), World Championships (China in July) and the Asian Games (Indonesia in August).