Malaysia’s Lee reaches badminton final, beating Indian Buradagunta

NEW DELHI: World number one Lee Chong Wei of Malaysia overwhelmed third-seeded Indian Chetan Buradagunta 21-11, 21-12 on Tuesday to reach the Commonwealth Games final, edging closer to gold and a bumper pay day.

Lee has conceded a mere 86 points in eight games in four matches, and is an even more overwhelming favourite to win the title again than when he started the tournament.

The top seed has been so dominant, with his gliding movement and geometrical precision, that he looks almost certain to equal the achievement of his compatriot Rashid Sidek in 1994, the only player successfully to defend the men's singles title.

Lee sometimes does not appear for interviews, says little when he does, and gives the impression that he is so focussed that he feels this tournament almost as like a world championship.

Up to a point that may be so, because Lee is probably on a significant win bonus - rumours have it as 80,000 Malaysian ring-gits (25,000 US dollars).

Badminton Association of Malaysia (BAM) officials reportedly increased the win bonus for their players or pairs at the world championships in Paris in August from 9,500 dollars to 15,000 dollars because they had been dissatisfied with results.

He should have at least one, after Wednesday's rest day when Lee on Thursday will meet Rajiv Ouseph, who is the second highest ranked player in the tournament at world number 16.

The Englishman did very well to make the final, for he had to overcome both the in-form Indian, Kashyap Parupalli, and another roaring, chanting home crowd.

The score was 19-21, 21-11, 21-18 with Ouseph coming back from 12-16 down in the final game.

The women's singles final will also involve the top two seeds.

Saina Nehwal, the first Indian woman to win a Super Series title, has reached the final without dropping a game as well after outplaying Susan Egelstaff, the third-seeded Scot, by 21-10, 21-17.

Nehwal's next opponent is Wong Mew Choo, who gave her such a great match in the team final on Friday, but who had to fight surprisingly hard to earn a repeat.

The second-seeded Malaysian encountered Liz Cann, the English national champion, inspired to produce her best performance of the tournament, and Wong needed to make a late push to survive 21-12, 18-21, 21-17.

Both the top two seeds will contest the finals of the men's and women's doubles, but the mixed doubles will see the Malaysians' occasional pairing of Koo Kien Keat and Chin Eei Hui, make their attempt to win the title unseeded.