Chen Long wins world badminton title

China's Chen Long beat world No. 1 Lee Chong Wei of Malaysia in straight sets to win the men's singles title at world badminton championships on Sunday.

Second-seeded Chen nailed a 21-19, 21-19 victory, inflicting a third successive final defeat on the Malaysian.

The first set was close, with both players making long rallies and powerful smashes, but Chen got the upper hand finally.

Chen picked up the tempo at the start of the second set, racing ahead to make the score 9-3 in a matter of minutes. Nevertheless, the tournament's first seed returned fast, leveling the scores 11-11.

Both players then showed cool and skill over the next few duels, taking the score to 19-19, before the Chinese was finally crowned the champion.

Chen said he was very happy because it was his first world championship title, which came after his loss at the Thomas Cup in May this year.

Meanwhile, Chinese Tian Qing and Zhao Yunlei took the women's doubles crown after beating their compatriots and defending champions Wang Xiaoli and Yu Yang, 21-19, 21-15, while South Korean Ko Sung Hyun and Shin Baek Choel won the men's doubles final against their teammates Lee Yong Dae and Yoo Yeon Seong.

However, the women's singles finals saw Spanish ninth seed Carolina Martin overpower top-seeded Olympic champion Li Xuerui of China 17-21, 21-17, 21-18.

Zhao Yunlei went on to take the mixed doubles title with Zhang Nan, beating teammates Xu Chen and Ma Jin.