# Chong Wei wins his fifth Malaysian Grand Prix Open title
# Kien Keat-Boon Heong fall in the men’s doubles final
# Meng Kiang-Pei Jing also beaten in the mixed doubles final
# India’s P.V. Sindhu takes the women’s singles title
Datuk Lee Chong Wei is still the master of the game and Malaysia’s undisputed No 1 when he won his fifth Malaysia Open Grand Prix title with a 21-18, 21-11 win over Iskandar Zulkarnain Zainuddin.
This is Chong Wei’s fifth Malaysian Grand Prix Open title – having won it four times – in 2009, 2010, 2011 and 2012.
In the all-Malaysian final in the USD120,000 Victor Far East Malaysia Masters Grand Prix at the Spice Arena on Sunday showed the wide gap between him and the rest in the country although the scoreline did not suggest this.
It took Chong Wei only 42 minute to earn USD9,000 in prize moeny that came with the title while Iskandar took home USD4,560 for his efforts.
Chong Wei was all praise for Iskandar’s gutsy performance which that even won him over the local fans who had turned up for the finals.
“Keep up the good work. Despite the defeat don’t give up. At the same time don’t ever think that you are great just because you reached final. There is still lot of work to be done,” said Chong Wei.
“There is improvement in Iskandar’s overall game. He plays with more confidence now. In the past he used to give up easily but not anymore. I hope his keeps his feet on the ground.”
On his performance Chong Wei said he was glad to come to his homestate to play a tournament although it is just a Grand Prix event, not a SuperSeries event.
“It was great feeling to play in front of my home fans,” said Chong Wei.
There was no joy for Malaysia in the men’s doubles when independent pair Koo Kien Keat-Tan Boon Heong could not build on the momentum after winning the first set and fell to a 21-18, 13-21, 18-21 defeat to Indonesia’s Gideon Markus Fernaldi-Kevin Sanjaya Sukamuljo in a 54 minute encounter.
“We paid the price for allowing our opponents to steal points in the third set. The gap was too big for us to catch up,” said Kean Kiet.
First time final jitters got the better of Tan Kian Meng-Lai Pei Jing in the mixed doubles and the Malaysians could only finish runners-up to China’s Zheng Siwei-Li Yinhui. The Chinese pair won 21-14, 21-19 in 34 minutes.
“This is my first final and I was nervous. Our opponents pressured us with their speed and power,” said Kian Meng who has quit playing in the singles to concentrate on the doubles.
“I am more focused on the mixed doubles (apart from the men’s doubles) and I hope we will have many more final. However, I will leave it to the coaches to decide on the matter.”
Pei Jing, who played in one final with her previous partner (Chan Peng Soon) was disappointed but satisfied with the runners-up place.
“Our performance in the final was not 100 per cent. We could not cope with the attacking power of our opponents,” quipped Pei Jing.
Despite the defeat in the final Kian Meng-Pei Jing can hold their heads high – reaching the final after coming the through the qualifying rounds to make the main draw.
The women’s singles title went India’s way when P.V. Sindhu coming out tops against Scotland’s Kirsty Gilmour 21-15, 21-9 in 32 minutes to pocket USD9,000 in prize money. Gilmour, the Commonwealth Games silver medallist- earned USD4,560.
It is Sindhu’s fifth Grand Prix title – two of which she won in Malaysia. She was also won the Malaysian Grand Prix Open in 2013. Sindhu has won the Macau Open three time in a row from 2013.
“It is great feeling to win here. I have not won any open title in India but I hopeto change this when I play in next week’s India Open Grand Prix,” said Sindhu, a two-time World Championships bronze medallist.
The lanky Indian has set her sights on the Rio Olympics in June this year.
RESULTS (ALL FINALS)
Men’s singles
Datuk Lee Chong Wei (Mas) beat Iskandar Zulkarnain Zainuddin (Mas) 21-18, 21-11
Men’s doubles
Gideon Markus Fernaldi-Kevin Sanjaya Sukamuljo (Ina) beat Koo Kien Keat-Tan Boon Heong (Mas) 18-21, 21-13, 21-18
Women’s singles
P.V. Sindhu (Ind) beat Kirsty Gilmour (Sco) 21-15, 21-9
Women’s doubles
Misaki Matsutomo-Ayaka Takahashi (Jpn) beat Tang Yuanting-Yu Yang (Chn) 21-18, 22-20
Mixed doubles
Zheng Siwei-Li Yinhui (Chn) beat Tan Kian Meng-Lai Pei Jing 21-14. 21-19
