KOREA OPEN 2008 FINAL : Three Lees Move up one Podium Step in Seoul

Lee Hyun Il of Korea kept his cool through a storm named Lin Dan and bagged his first Korea Open title ever, becoming the first Korean to win the men’s singles title since 1996. Earlier, two other Lees, Hyo Jung and Yong Dae, picked up Korea’s tenth home mixed doubles title. Despite the losses by both singles players, China still managed to leave with gold in both doubles.

Lee Hyun Il was the picture of composure as he weathered a flurry of Lin Dan’s attacks on the way to dropping the first game 4-21. While this may have looked like a repeat of his last encounter with Lin Dan – a disastrous defeat in the Doha Asian Games semi-final where Lee earned just 3 points in the first game – this match was to end very, very differently.

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"I didn’t have great expectations about winning here so I didn’t feel much pressure. I was a little nervous at the beginning, but I think the fact that I was able to calm down and play the game was the reason I won," explained Lee after the match. “When you lose the first game that easily, it normally completely saps your confidence. At the end of the first game I just didn't think about it and just thought of the second game as if it were starting again. In Doha, I thought too much about the first game.”

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The difference became obvious early in the second game as Lee rushed out to a 9-1 lead. However, Lin Dan quickly got himself back in the game and even managed to reach match point before Lee denied him the chance to end it early and won 23-21 to force a deciding game.

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The real drama came in the final game. Lee Hyun Il fended off another two match points to force a deuce situation and at 21-all, he smashed deep down the forehand line. When the line judge called the shot in, Lin Dan began howling in protest to the umpire and he pointed and shouted at Lee Hyun Il and at the Korean bench. He then threw his racquet past the umpire and over Korean coach Li Mao, bringing Li storming over to Lin.

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A shouting match ensued as the Chinese coaches approached but the tournament referees quickly stepped in to calm things down and handed Lin Dan back his racquet. The umpire showed Lin a yellow card and the Chinese player resumed the match, tying the match again before the Korean finally closed it out 4-21, 23-21, 25-23.

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“Lin Dan normally tends to be overbearing,” Lee said after the match. “He's the same even when he plays in other countries. I don't see that it really has any effect, but I think his intention is to change the mood. I thought today that it was a bit much. Still, I wasn't affected by it.”

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“Lin Dan said ‘You saw it. Wasn't it out?’ I said ‘I don't know. It's the line judge's call. But anyway, aren't the conditions the same in China?’”

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Asked whether he thought it was unfair that Lin’s outburst resulted in only a warning, Lee replied “No, I didn't think that way. Carrying on like that was only going to hurt himself so it didn't disturb me particularly.”