Cheuk Yiu Banks on Building Patience
Lee Cheuk Yiu, who authored the most unanticipated title victory of the last season, is seeking to work on improving his patience before the circuit restarts, as he senses increased attention from opponents.
· DEV SUKUMAR
The Hong Kong China player, whose journey from qualifier to champion at the Hong Kong Open last November created a sensation, accepted that he had to be prepared for his game being analysed in detail.
“Now I know many players have their focus on me, so I think I need to change a few aspects of my game. I might need to change,” he said. “I’m planning to keep playing with patience, both during training and during competition. The circuit will start again after a few months. These two months in my training might be more specific, to make me stronger, and get the tournament feeling.”
Lee’s performance at his home tournament had come without warning, for he had never crossed the first or second round of 19 previous tournaments. Promoted to the main draw from qualifying, he successively took down far more fancied opponents in succession – third seed Shi Yu Qi in the second round; Viktor Axelsen in the quarterfinals; Kidambi Srikanth in the semifinals, and then, in an absorbing final, Anthony Ginting. It was a fairytale week for someone who had been on the fringes of the elite level.