KUALA LUMPUR: World number one Datuk Lee Chong Wei's victory in the All England Open Badminton Championships 2017 certainly had Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak rejoicing.
"Datuk Lee Chong Wei, you made all Malaysians proud of you! Superb display of skills and fighting spirit," Najib said in his Twitter account.
Chong Wei added a fourth All England men's singles title to his impressive collection by beating Shi Yuqi from China at Barclaycard Arena in Birmingham, England, last night.
The Rio de Janeiro Olympics silver medallist swept home 21-12, 21-10 in just 45 minutes; his opponent suffered a leg injury towards the end of the second game.
Chong Wei, who won the title in 2011, 2012 and 2014, was expected to face his arch rival and defending champion, Lin Dan, from China in the final, but all expectations fell flat when the former world number one unexpectedly lost to Shi Yuqi in the semifinal.
Najib also said Malaysian mixed doubles pair Chan Peng Soon/Goh Liu Ying should not be disappointed over their failure to cross the final hurdle, losing 21-18, 19-21, 16-21 to Lu Kai/Huang Yaqiong from China.
"Chan Peng Soon and Goh Liu Ying need not feel disappointed to get a silver; they played well. We will continue to support #AllEngland," he assured.
Peng Soon/Liu Ying took the first game 21-18 and were leading the second game 17-16, when a disputed call from the umpire disrupted the Malaysian duo's rhythm, causing them to lose concentration.
It was the first final for the duo who had never gone past the semifinal stage. -- Bernama