Hong Kong Win is History, Says Lee Cheuk Yiu
He authored one of the biggest stories of 2019 by winning the Hong Kong Open late last year, but Lee Cheuk Yiu has consigned that dramatic week to history as he sets out to tackle the challenges of an Olympic year.
· DEV SUKUMAR
The 23-year-old is No.24 in the world rankings and No.17 in the Race to Tokyo – well behind compatriot Ng Ka Long Angus, who is seventh in the Race to Tokyo – and believes he has to reset his focus after the high of winning the biggest title of his career on home soil.
“I don’t think of the Hong Kong Open at all because this year is very important,” he claimed, after his first round win over Indonesia’s Shesar Hiren Rhustavito at the PERODUA Malaysia Masters 2020 today. “My ranking isn’t high enough for the Olympics yet, so I have to work on that.”
Lee’s victory in Hong Kong last November came out of the blue. During the course of that week he took down one higher-ranked opponent after another. Shi Yu Qi fell in the second round, followed by Viktor Axelsen, Kidambi Srikanth, and finally, Anthony Ginting. Lee says his thoughts are far from that.