World No. 1 Chong Wei was expected to stroll to an easy victory Down Under but struggled to get his game going as world No. 196 Houwei outplayed him for a 21-19, 17-21, 21-18 win yesterday.
Houwei, the 2009 world junior champion, playing in only his first tournament of the year, got off to a bright start and showed no fear against Chong Wei, taking a close first game 21-19.
The two-time Olympic silver medallist, however, utilised all his experience to fight back ad level the tie by winning the second 21-17.
But Chong Wei, who was ill prior to the tournament, appeared a spent force as Houwei raced to an 11-3 lead in the deciding rubber.
To his credit, Chong Wei managed to close the gap to 14-17, but the 21-year-old Houwei held firm for a famous victory.
Making the final represents Houwei’s best career achievement, having been beaten in the first round of this tournament by Hong Kong’s Hu Yun last year.
For the title, he will face 19-year-old compatriot Xue Song, who also gave a polished display to oust Indonesia’s Alamsyah Yunus 21-10, 18-21, 21-15 in the other semi-final.
National singles head coach Rashid Sidek believes that “the defeat is a good lesson for Chong Wei never to underestimate his opponents”.
“The China shuttler really played well. He showed maturity in his game and was not afraid to take on Chong Wei,” said Rashid.
“We did not even expect him to play like such a seasoned and experienced player.
“In contrast, Chong Wei’s performance was affected by the fact that he is still recovering from a sickness, although that should not be used as an excuse.
“This defeat is a good lesson for him to never ever underestimate the younger players ... especially those from China.
“But I’m confident though that he will bounce back well and be better prepared for his next tournament.”
Chong Wei’s next assignment will be the India Open Super Series in New Delhi from April 23-28.
Meanwhile, it was a fairly disappointing day for the professional duo of Mohd Zakry Abdul Latif-Mohd Fairuzizuan Mohd Tazari as they were beaten 18-21, 18-21 by Malaysian Open champions Hendra Setiawan-Muhammad Ahsan of Indonesia.
The fifth-seeded Indonesians will face compatriots Angga Pratama-Ryan Agung Saputra for the title.
Results
Semi-finals
Men’s singles: Xue Song (Chn) bt Alamsyah Yunus (Ina) 21-10, 18- 21, 21-15; Tian Houwei (Chn) bt Lee Chong Wei (Mas) 21-19, 17-21, 21-18.
Men’s doubles: Hendra Setiawan-Muhammad Ahsan (Ina) bt Mohd Zakry Abdul Latif-Mohd Fairuzizuan Mohd Tazari (Mas) 21-18, 21-18; Angga Pratama-Ryan Agung Saputra (Ina) bt Kim Dae-eun-Shin Baekcheol (Kor) 21-9, 21-14.
Women’s singles: Sayaka Takahashi (Jpn) bt Pai Hsiao Ma (Tpe) 21- 16, 21-15; Nichaon Jindapon (Tha) bt Suo Di (Chn) 9-21, 21-8, 21-11.
Women’s doubles: Aprilsasi Putri Lejarsar Variella-Vita Marissa (Ina) bt Ko A-ra-Yoo Hae-won (Kor) 19-21, 21-11, 21-12; Savitree Amitapai- Sapsiree Taerattanachai (Tha) bt Chen Qingchen-Huang Dongping (Chn) 21-17, 26-28, 21-15.
Mixed doubles: Irfan Fadhilah-Weni Anggraini (Ina) bt Liu Yuchen- Huang Dongping (Chn) 21-19, 13-21, 22-20; Shin Baek-cheol-Jang Yena (Kor) bt Huang Kaixiang-Chen Qingchen (Chn) 23-25, 21-13, 21-19.
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