Hong Kong's Hu Yun fails at the last hurdle at the Singapore Open
World No 13 is beaten at the last hurdle for the third time in a Superseries event
Hong Kong's Hu Yun fell at the final hurdle again as his third attempt to win a Superseries men's singles championship ended like the rest - in defeat.
The world No 13 was beaten by Kento Momota of Japan in the final of the US$300,000 Singapore Open on Sunday, 21-17, 16-21, 21-15.
Hu had stunned world No 1 and reigning world champion Chen Long of China early in the tournament, but was nowhere near that standard yesterday, losing in 80 minutes.
I felt really sorry for Hu, as he has been doing a great job over the past five days
Hong Kong's top player had previously reached Superseries finals - against Chen and former world number one Lee Chong Wei of Malaysia - but had been given little chance for a victory.
The match against the 22-year-old Momota was Hu's best opportunity of making the breakthrough. But having had to battle through three games in every match from the second round, the 33-year-old Hu could not produce the goods when it mattered in Singapore.
"I felt really sorry for Hu, as he has been doing a great job over the past five days," said head coach Tim He Yiming.