Badminton fans worldwide were hit by a storm when Lee Chong Wei crashed out of the 1st round (Day 2) of the 2017 Badminton World Championship, losing to Brice Leverdez (21-19, 22-24, 21-17). Give credit where credit is due, the Frenchman played the match of his life, staying composed throughout the 75-minute pulsating match with no sign of fatigue. Keep in mind that some of Brice's previous attempts at major badminton arenas were thwarted by Chong Wei - twice in All England (2011 & 2017) and twice in France Open (2011 & 2015). Surely, that was a sweet revenge, especially at an event that meant so much to the Malaysian. To be fair, however, Brice already had the blueprint to beat Chong Wei, having beaten the Malaysian in 2016 Denmark Open. Hats off to him to doing it again!
Misbun's return coincided with early exit - blessing, curse or coincidence?
With the return of Misbun Sidek as his coach (along with Hendrawan), many had speculated that his long-time coach might give him the much-needed boost and tips to finally snatch the elusive World Championship title that has been missing from his resume. Let's dissect the match, shall we?
Game 1
The game started with little sign of an upset on the horizon. Chong Wei's lack of urgency allowed Brice to grab an 11-8 lead midway to the interval. Several rallies after the interval saw the Frenchman seizing a comfortable 15-10 lead before the Malaysian showed some urgency, reeling off the next 6 consecutive points. Then, both players went neck-to-neck for the next few points until Malaysian fans could finally heave a sign of relief when Chong Wei went up 19-18. That was when things began to shift: a brilliant push to Chong Wei's forehand rearcourt, an unforced error smash by the Malaysian, and then a thunderous smash by Brice saw the Frenchman closing out Game 1. There, my friends, was when the badminton fans caught a glimpse of a potential historic scalp.
Game 2
If you thought the Malaysian and his coaching staffs would make the right correction for Game 2, you can't be more wrong. The game looked as if the Frenchman had lost no momentum from Game 1, hitting winning smashes and showing good control of baseline and sideline lifts. In fact, the gap widened to as many as 16-9 and 18-13 in Brice's favor. Chong Wei looked dejected and outright disgusted, while Brice's confidence continued to skyrocket with each winning play. He even started signaling to the fans, almost to indicate that he had figured out the winning blueprint. What's worth noting here is that Brice did not have any coaching staff! So, he clearly must have cemented the blueprint in his mind.
But hey, not so fast! Several lapses of concentration allowed Chong Wei back in the game. Having saved two match points, the Malaysian snatched 3 consecutive points as he closed out Game 2 (24-22).
Game 3
Having lost a game that he had commanding control throughout nearly the entire game, many (myself included) thought that the momentum must have shifted from the Frenchman to the Malaysian. Think about it, the latter had just recovered from a narrow loss, and was probably in a better physical condition for another grueling game. In fact, Chong Wei grabbed a comfortable 15-11 lead after the mid-game interval. But that was when Brice created history - he went on a 10-2 giant-killing run as he wrapped up the match, creating a major scalp in recent badminton history!
Kudos to you, Brice! It was such a joy watching you play with such confidence, passion and determination! As for Chong Wei, I wrote an article two months ago, predicting why he may never win a world championship title, unless he and his coaching staffs made some necessary adjustments. Having watched so many of Chong Wei's games, I was certain that he wouldn't win it this year, but certainly did not expect him to crash out this early. To Chong Wei: I hope you would try again (and read my earlier post). To Brice: all the best to you in your upcoming matches! Continue to believe in yourself!