Wei Feng Chong serves notice of his potential in 2012 Li Ning China Open – Badminton Feature
Malaysia’s budding shuttler Wei Feng Chong has been performing exceptionally well for last couple of months and he continued delivering stunners at international level in recently concluded Li Ning China Open.
World Number 26 player was underrated earlier in this Super Series tournament but he grabbed all the attentions by overpowering higher ranked opponents like Sho Sasaki, Hans Kristian Vittinghus and Takuma Ueda in the Men’s Singles event.
Wei Feng did not receive an easy draw as he was scheduled to meet World Number eight shuttler Sho Sasaki in the opening match but he paved path to next round by sealing a straight-set victory.
The Malaysian campaigner played with great conviction and did not show any sign of confusion in front of the experienced Japanese player. He kick-started his campaign with an intensive attack in the opening game and bagged this crucial match point.
Wei Feng’s game plan was a real feast for the eyes as he outclassed Sho Sasaki in all departments of the game and wrapped this showdown in a favourable manner. He won second consecutive set and sent his opponent packing.
After putting a front runner’s expedition to halt, he cast out another prime shuttler Hans Kristian Vittinghus with a staggering knock in the second round. This time he looked in prime touch as the Danish campaigner had no reply to his unbeatable strategy.
The 25-year-old Wei Feng showed maturity in his craft and alarmed all the contestants of this Super Series by claiming a straight-set victory. He started the ball rolling immediately in the beginning of first set and maintained this momentum until last shot
was played.
On the other hand, Hans Kristian Vittinghus could not employ an effective counter-attack strategy and stayed at the lower end throughout this pre quarter-final showdown. He lost control over game when Wei Feng clinched the opening match point with distinction
and then things became worse also in the second set.
The lower ranked but talented Malaysian shuttler registered an impressive 2-0 win and qualified for the quarter-finals where he was up against another spirited player Takuma Ueda of Japan. He employed all of his brilliance in the game and remained invincible
in this crucial match.
In first set of the match, he looked bit off colour in the beginning as the opposing shuttler enjoyed an upper hand in most part of the game.
However, he did not take much time to come out of his competitor’s influence and ended this segment of the showdown with a striking figure of 21-16. This initial lead helped him in the next game and he swept the table with a huge difference in 21-13 total.
Wei Feng’s hard work paid off as he gained access to the semi-finals of this Super Series. He was up against the top seeded Chen Long who was having a psychological edge of home ground and crowd.
The inexperienced Malaysian shuttler was no comparison to the native player and he had to bid adieu to this prestigious badminton event.
World Number three Chen Long played with great authority and earned right to be in the title match with an impressive result of 21-6 and 21-7.
This was the end of Wei Feng’s expedition but he managed to prove his worth in the arena by smacking couple of prime contenders. Now he must focus to bring consistency in his performance to make a long lasting impact at the senior level.
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