Chong Wei blunders as Houwei Tian thunders in title match of 2013 Australian Open
An upset was observed in the semi-final match of Yonex Australian Badminton Open as a young Chinese shuttler Houwei Tian thrashed the badminton king Lee Chong Wei on April 6, 2013.
This Men’s Singles encounter was staged at the local badminton arena of Sydney and both contenders kept the audience intact for three gruelling sets.
Things went out of control for World Number one Chong Wei when he lost first set and a woeful defeat in the third set proved final blow for him.
The inexperienced but talented Houwei Tian raised his chances of success by claiming the first match point and then locked the honour with a favourable result of 21-19, 17-21 and 21-18.
In the opening agme, the Chinese player took some time to get settled but he never looked back after gaining the right momentum.
He registered his presence by clinching few consecutive points before the mid-game break and then strengthened his grip by finishing first half of the set with a respectable total.
After the mid-game break, Chong Wei stormed back with a strong reply and tipped the scale in his favour but then few back-to-back mistakes forced him to surrender with 19-21 margin.
However, the Malaysian maestro managed to bring the contest to right balance in very next game. This time he did not repeat his previous mistakes and gained a decent advantage immediately in the beginning.
Chong Wei did not give his rival even a single chance to proceed on the points table and placed a mountainous figure of 11 before interval.
The latter part of game kept swinging both players until final moments and this nerve-racking contest ended when Chong Wei put a decisive total of 21-17.
Third set became consequential as both contenders were standing equal in match score position. They made every effort to cast out the opponent but no one could hit the mark.
Finally, this cliff-hanging tussle concluded when the Chinese campaigner struck hard and locked the honour.
Houwei Tian piled up a concluding score of 21-18 and earned right to be in the final round of Australian Open. Now he will take on a compatriot shuttler Xue Song.
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