Lee wins record fourth Super Series Finals title

Kuala Lumpur: World number one Lee Chong Wei Sunday became the first player to win four titles in the season-ending BWF World Superseries Finals when he crushed Indonesia`s Tommy Sugiarto.

It is the Malaysian ace`s seventh Superseries title this year - the most he has ever won in a calendar year - following victories in South Korea, Malaysia, India, Indonesia, Japan and Hong Kong. The Olympic silver medallist, who won this tournament in 2008-2010, easily beat Sugiarto 21-10, 21-12 in the men`s singles final on home turf. Lee used the full length of the court to move his opponent throughout the match with the fourth seed still feeling the strain of beating Japan`s Kenichi Tago in three games Saturday. "I sensed he was not 100 percent (fit) and attacked him from the start," Lee said. Lee took a quick 4-0 lead before Sugiarto earned his first point and later went on a run of eight straight points from 5-2 for a 13-2 lead. Victory was never in doubt after Lee opened up an 18-4 lead. He slowed down towards the end before closing out the first game 21-10. The second game followed a similar pattern, with Lee winning points at will. The 31-year-old said he believed he could maintain his form into the next year. "To me, age is just a number. I don`t see why I can`t continue as I still have the desire to win titles," he said. "I still love training as hard, and 2014 is going to be a big year with several team events as well." Lee`s rival Lin Dan, who did not participate in the Superseries Finals this year, won in 2011, while last year Chen Long, also from China, triumphed. Earlier Sunday, third seeds Christinna Pedersen and Kamilla Rytter Juhl of Denmark became the first European winners of the women`s doubles when they defeated fourth seeded Chinese pair Ma Jin and Tang Jinhua 21-19, 21-12. China`s Wang Xiaoli and Yu Yang triumphed the last three years. Before that, a Malaysian duo won twice. On a roll, Pedersen teamed up with Joachim Fischer Nielsen in the mixed doubles to defeat world champions Zhang Nan and Zhao Yunlei of China 12-21, 21-19, 21-10. With this, the Dane became the first player in history to win two titles in the same Superseries Finals. Pedersen and Nielsen already won in 2009 and 2012, while Zhang and Zhao triumphed in 2010 and 2011. The $500,000 Superseries Finals bring together the top eight performers in each of the five categories based on points earned from 12 Superseries tournaments. The men`s and women`s singles champions pocket $40,000 each with the runners-up collecting $20,000. The doubles champions earn $42,000 while the losing finalists receive $20,000.