Chen Long's final defeat completes embarrassing Hong Kong Open for China
Another singles crown slips away from China as top seed goes down to South Korean in straight sets
China's embarrassing badminton singles run in the Yonex-Sunrise Hong Kong Open was completed on Sunday when world No 2 Chen Long lost in the final at the Coliseum.
It was also the end of a fairy-tale run for former world junior champion Nozomi Okuhara, who lost to sixth seeded Taiwanese player Tai Tzu-ying in the women's singles.
Chen Long, who snatched the men's title in Hong Kong two years ago, was not surprised by his defeat to sixth-seeded South Korean Son Wan-ho.
It's always a close match against Son and today he was more patient than before. I tried to pull one back in the second set and had a good start, but then I made too many mistakes and it was too late
"The result was not out of my expectations," said the reigning world champion. "It's always a close match against Son and today he was more patient than before.
"I tried to pull one back in the second set and had a good start, but then I made too many mistakes and it was too late."
Son, who was beaten by Chen in the World Championships and the Denmark Open final this year, upset the top seed 21-19, 21-16 making this the second week in a row that China lost a men's singles crown.
Lin Dan was beaten in the China Open final by unheralded Indian Kidambi Srikanth the previous weekend.
Giant killer Okuhara had no answers against Tai in the women's singles final of the US$350,000 Hong Kong event.