Lin Dan dominates the coveted All England Open Badminton Championships with his four title victories
There are numerous events in the world of badminton which grab the attention of top players from the whole world and the All England Open Badminton Championships is the most prestigious of all these tournaments. Every shuttler has a dream to win this event.
The first edition of this event was played in 1898. Currently, the Badminton World Federation (BWF) has included this event in the five premier super series events of the year.
In the last decade, which was also the opening decade of the 21st century, the All England Open Badminton Championships were contested by the top shuttlers of the world. In the category of Men’s Singles, many players made a tremendous run and
entered in the history of great players of all time. In 2001, it was Indian wonder, Pullela Gopichand, who delivered a stunning performance and grabbed the title by beating Chinese top seed, Chen Hong in the final. However, in 2002, Chen Hong became successful
in winning the title by beating Budi Santoso of Indonesia.
Chen Hong played the third consecutive final of the All England Open Badminton Championships in 2003 against Muhammad Hafiz Hashim of Malaysia. This time, the Malaysian emerged as the winner of the Men’s Singles title. In 2004, it was China’s top shuttler
and all-time best player, Lin Dan, who defeated the most competent Danish player, Peter Hoeg Gade in a three-set battle and became the new claimer of the title. However, in 2005, it was former champion, Chen Hong, who defeated Lin Dan and clinched the title
for the second time.
The year 2006 brought glory back to Lin Dan, when he crushed Korean player, Lee Hyun Il in the final showdown of this prestigious event. In the same year, the International Badminton Federation changed the scoring system for making the game more thrilling.
In this scoring system, 21 points were introduced in each set. Lin Dan continued his impressive run at the 2007 All England Open and successfully defended his title by playing against team-mate, Chen Yu. In the following year, it was Chen Jin of China who
became the champion by beating senior compatriot and defending champion, Lin Dan.
In 2009, Lin Dan won his fourth title of the All England Open Badminton Championships, when he defeated the current World Number One, Lee Chong Wei of Malaysia in straight-sets. In the 2010 edition of the All England Open, it was Lee Chong Wei who emerged
as the winner of Men’s Singles after defeating Kenichi Tago of Japan in straight-sets. In the recent 2011 edition, the Malaysian defended his title successfully by proving his worth against Lin Dan in the final of the event.
China proved its dominance in this event since 2001, by winning seven titles in Men’s Singles category. Lin Dan has played seven finals of All England Open Badminton Championships and emerged victorious on four occasions, to prove that he is the best in
the business.
All great players including World Number One, Lee Chong Wei, World Number Two, Lin Dan, Taufik Hidayat, Peter Gade, Chen Jin and Chen Long will be once again there in England, to claim this lucrative title at the next edition in 2012. The event will take
place in Birmingham, almost three months before the 2012 London Olympics.
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