TheStar SINGAPORE: Lee Chong Wei let slip a golden chance to end a 14-year wait for the Malaysia to win the Singapore Open men's singles title here yesterday. The 10th seeded Chong Wei, who had a fantastic run in the tournament after a disappointing first-round exit in the preceding China Open in the week before, simply did not have the extra to make it count in the final against Kenneth Jonassen of Denmark. TREND BREAKER: Denmark’s Kenneth Jonassen Asia’s stranglehold in the men’s singles event of the Singapore Open when he beat Chong Wei in the final yesterday. The Dane, became the first European to win the five-star tournament, poses with his trophy and a mock cheque for US$13,600. – AFPpic He allowed the Dane to come back from the dead to win the match 3-15, 17-15, 15-4. For his efforts to become the first European to win the title, the second seeded Jonassen, who is ranked third in the world, took home US$13,600 (RM51,680) while the 16th ranked Chong Wei settled for US$6,800 (RM25,840). Chong Wei’s defeat in a 75-minute match was the second disappointment for Malaysia yesterday. Earlier, Koo Kien Keat-Wong Pei Tty crashed to a tame 1-15, 4-15 defeat by Indonesians Nova Widianto-Lilyana Natsir in the mixed doubles final. The Indonesians pocketed US$10,370 (RM39,406) while the Malaysians took home US$6,800 (RM25,840). It was Chong Wei’s third international Open final. He won the Malaysian Open in Kuantan earlier this year after having finished as the runner-up in the same tournament in Kota Kinabalu the previous year. Chong Wei's defeat means that Malaysia have not won the title since Foo Kok Keong beat China’s Zhao Jinhua 15-8, 10-15, 15-9 in the 1990 final. While Jonassen celebrated his biggest achievement after winning the Korean Open last year, Chong Wei has to look forward to the Taiwan Open next week to make up for the disappointment. “I am a victim of my own folly,†said Chong Wei. “I was in a hurry to finish him off in the second game but ended up making all the mistakes. At 14-14, Kenneth had more confidence than me and he took advantage of it. “Of course I am disappointed to lose after having come this far. I was quite relaxed going into the final but failed to turn the tide to my favour after winning the first game.†In making the final, Chong Wei had gone from strength to strength in the Singapore Open and among the fancied players he eliminated were world number two and top seed Peter Gade-Christensen and China’s Bao Chunlai. For Jonassen, it was a proud moment to stand on the rostrum as the winner. He has succeeded where his more illustrious countrymen, including Gade-Christensen and Morten Frost Hansen, had failed. “It is a big achievement for me personally. I am extremely proud to be the first European winner,†he said. “It was not an easy win. I knew Chong Wei would be out shooting and this is exactly what he did. I did not know what to do, especially in the first game. I was just trying to keep pace. “Chong Wei became nervous and annoyed that I kept coming at him as the game progressed. I raised my game and started playing better. Still I was lucky. I am humbly proud to have beaten him to the title.†Kien Keat-Pei Tty simply could not get going against Widianto-Natsir. A disappointed Kien Keat said: “I am disappointed with my performance. I just could not push myself to the maximum and it affected our game overall.†Said his partner, Pei Tty: “Kien Keat is the controller. If he cannot perform, it means danger for us. This is what happened against the Indonesians. “I also had my fair share of playing below form. But overall, we had a good run in Singaore and we are pleased with what we have achieved.â€
