World number one Lee Chong Wei ended one fairytale and continued another as he reached the men’s singles semi-finals at the world championships. Lee’s 21-7, 21-13 win over Kevin Cordon kept him on course to become the first Malaysian ever to win a world badminton title, but finished the dream of the man from central America.
Cordon was the first player from Guatemala ever to progress so far in a major tournament after three wins, including a giant-killing win over Chen Long, the fifth-seeded Chinese player. But though he managed to strike a few good blows and earned enthusiastic support from the Wembley crowd, Cordon could not match a Lee who has been in the best form of his career.
It was followed by an admission from the world’s leading player that, depending on the state of his aching body, he might retire after the London 2012 Olympics in the same Wembley arena. “It was difficult to play against him,” said Cordon, a 24-year-old who is based in Madrid. “But it gives me a lot of confidence to aim for something even higher.”
