Lee wins Japan Open badminton
Lee Hyun-Il became the first Korean to win the Japan Open badminton tournament after beating world number one Xia Xuanze of China in the men's singles final on Sunday for the biggest title of his career.
The eighth-ranked South Korean, the runner-up last year in the tournament, unleashed an array of lightning smashes in the
final game to go up to 3-0 on his way to a stunning 5-7, 7-5,
0-7, 7-5, 7-2 victory over the Asian champion.
"I knew that no Korean player has ever won the singles
here. I'm really happy that I became the first Korean to win
it, and I'm really happy to win such a big tournament," said
Lee after the 59-minute final.
"Xia is a tough opponent, he is speedy. Although he
seemed to have the momentum, I just tried not to make a
mistake," said the Korean, who stormed back from 1-4 and 2-5
down in the fourth game to tie the contest.
"My biggest goal is the Athens Olympics. I'm going to do
my best to qualify for the Olympics and hopefully I can win
the gold medal."
It was only his second title in the Grand Prix series,
following his victory at the US Open in September last year. It was also his first win over Xia after losing their previous three matches, including a first-round loss two years ago at the Japan Open.
Lee, who will turn 22 in 10 days, received an early
birthday gift of the $14,400 first prize.
Xia, the 2000 All England champion who surprisingly
failed to clear the third round at Birmingham last month,
collected the runner-up prize of $7,200.
