Heartbreak for Chong Wei as he crashes out of Championships

PETALING JAYA: Datuk Lee Chong Wei's hope of lifting the World Championships is over after a shocking defeat at the hands of unheralded Frenchman Brice Leverdez in the first round.
The national shuttler lost 19-21, 24-22, 17-21 at the Emirates Arena in Glasgow, Scotland today in a tightly-contested match.
This was Lee's second defeat to the Frenchman, having similarly beaten at the Denmark Open last year.
The 34-year-old had previously said this would be his last championship before he hangs his racket.
Lee has won almost all major badminton tournaments, with the World Championships, alongside the Olympic gold medal, being the elusive titles he has yet to conquer.
The 2016 Rio Olympics silver medallist is a three-time runner-up in the championships, having lost twice to China's Lin Dan in Lin Dan in 2011 and 2013 and once to Chen Long, also of China, in the 2015 edition.