Unseeded Simon Santoso stuns Lee Chong Wei at Singapore Open
Rank outsider wins in style; Wang Yihan upsets Li Xuerui
Unseeded Indonesian Simon Santoso pulled off a major shock when he thrashed badminton’s world number one Lee Chong Wei to win the Singapore Open for the first time on Sunday.
The 28-year-old, considered a rank outsider against Malaysia’s imperious Lee, upset the form book in style with an emphatic 21-15, 21-10 victory in just 48 minutes in the Singapore final.
Santoso reeled off nine straight points to stifle Lee’s second-game revival and take the match, dropping his racquet to the court and raising his arms in celebration in front of a bemused crowd.
The third Superseries tournament win for the 52nd-ranked Santoso cements a stirring comeback by the former world number three, who dropped out of the top 100 last year following back problems.
“I am really satisfied with my performance especially after beating one of the best players, Lee Chong Wei, in the final. I am really happy and proud,” Santoso said.
“I am really happy [because] it’s been a while since I beat Chong Wei and also because I fought hard from the qualification rounds here in Singapore.”
It was only Santoso’s second win in 11 matches against the All-England champion, who had lost just once this year. But Lee, 31, downplayed the loss, saying it was “only the Singapore Open”.