Lee Chong Wei cruises to Badminton Hong Kong Open final
Hong Kong (AFP) - World number one Lee Chong Wei crushed Thai opponent Boonsak Ponsana on Saturday to reach the Hong Kong Open final, setting up a title match against three-time Asian champion Sony Dwi Kuncoro.
The 31-year-old Malaysian top seed -- yet to lose a game in the Superseries event -- eased past the eighth seed 21-12, 21-7 in 33 minutes in their semi-final at the Hong Kong Coliseum.
Indonesia's Kuncoro, defeated by Lee in the final of January's Malaysia Open, eliminated compatriot Tommy Sugiarto 21-14, 8-3, with the fifth seed retiring in the second game.
In the women's singles, victories for Wang Yihan and Wang Shixian set up an all-Chinese final, ensuring there was no repeat of Friday's upset, when top seed and defending champion Li Xuerui was knocked out by Thailand's Porntip Buranaprasertsuk.
Third seed Wang Yihan recovered from losing the first game to beat unseeded Porntip 17-21, 21-15, 21-13 in a match lasting just over an hour.
Fourth-seed Wang Shixian had less trouble in her semi-final, disposing of Japan's Minatsu Mitani 21-13, 21-17.
In a tense match in the men's doubles, unseeded South Korean pair Lee Yong-Dae and Yoo Yeon-Seong beat Indonesia world champions Mohammad Ahsan and Hendra Setiawan 22-20, 22-20, setting up an all-Korean final with fourth seeds Kim Ki-Jung and Kim Sa-Rang.
In the mixed doubles, England's Chris Adcock and Gabrielle White put out Chinese top seeds Zhang Nan and Zhao Yunlei and will face China's Liu Cheng and Bao Yixin on Sunday, who beat the Hong Kong pair of Lee Chun-hei and Chau Hoi-wah in a tight three-set contest.
The women's doubles will see an all-Chinese final between Bao Yixin and Tang Jinhua and Ou Dongni and Tang Yuanting.
Hong Kong is the final event in the 12-round Superseries. The BWF Superseries Finals will be held next month in Kuala Lumpur.
