The BIGGEST UPSET in Badminton World Championship History

In the world of badminton, legends from China, Indonesia and Denmark dominate the headlines. But in the summer of 2011, at the London World Championships, a man from Guatemala, a country with no badminton tradition, lit up the world stage. He was ranked at only 36th in the world, and standing across the net was none other than the fifth seed, one of China's best, Chen Long. The odds were greatly stacked against him. This is the story of Kevin Corden and the night he challenged an Olympic champion. Oh! From the very first point, Corden fought hard. Toile up. Getting his forms rolling, counter-underweight. My goodness me, what a way to start! Oh! Just like that, Corden had the early lead. However, it seemed people were not taking him seriously, as the commentator said. He's going all out for it. Now he's just got to last another hour. But little did they know, Corden was about to play one of the best matches of his career. That gives an opportunity to play it from the... Corden took the early lead, 6-2. But things were just getting started, as it seems Chen Long had only just warmed up. ..take it himself as well. So he's got to add on some pressure. And here we saw it. He did really well. Yeah, really nice. His arrival on the world stage. The score was now even, and it seemed like the tide was turning in favour of Chen Long. However, Corden would light up the crowd, winning seven of the next eight points. And if anything, that's a good angle. Chen seemed to begin feeling the pressure, as he started making unforced errors. Oh, my goodness! He would fight back, tightening the score gap, and proving why he is known as the Great Wall of China. One of their very best players. But even the Great Wall cannot hold back everything. Oh, that's good. Eventually, the score was tied at 19-all. Chen made another unforced error, and now Corden has a match-point opportunity. Yeah, he read it again. And he's converted on his first opportunity! In 23 minutes, China's young star had just been stunned, losing the first set to an unseeded Guatemalan. Kevin Corden was now just 21 points away from moving on to the next round. So, can Kevin Corden keep this going? Well... With a quick smash, Corden once again had the early lead. I feel so many players, countries... It seemed like Chen Long was giving in to the pressure, as he continued to make unforced errors. Could this really be happening? You know, we can win. I really believe that China can be... After these first points, however, it seemed that it was Corden who started making unforced errors. If you look at the ladies' singles... Not unbeatable. Six, eight pairs, so close. And we're all talking about this dominance and dominance of China. And if people would have that attitude of what Corden has got when he goes on court to play this match, so many things could change. Again and again, Corden made errors, and Chen Long soon dominated the set. Oh, just missed it. Oh, my. You overdone it. Even after the break, Corden did not recover, and continued to lose point by point. It was now evident that Corden was no match for Chen Long. And all that. Again, you know, looking at... If you looked at Chong Wei playing the Thailand player... Corden was now losing by a large margin. It seems like he is trying to conserve his energy for the final set. Corden was barely even moving around the court. He simply allowed Chen's drop shots to land in front of him. With a missed push, yet another error from Corden, Chen Long now has 12 match-point opportunities to take the second set. Game. And that's it. It is indeed one game all. Thanks to yet another error from Corden, Chen Long takes the second set with a staggering score of 21-8. To most, it seemed like this match was already over. Kevin Corden must have gotten lucky and won the first set. But after the second set, it was clear he had lost his momentum. But as fans were about to witness, this player was not about to give up so easily. And he got one there. From Guatemala. Oh, yes. Despite this early success, Chen Long fought back to regain the lead. Two and... Three and four. And three and four. But they have struggled. Yes. And they've lost to a number of players. And they will... From India. That's a good shot. Yeah, OK. Scrape, scrape. Then it's just back to... Good. It's playing the statistics. It's not what they said. That's well covered. Really explosive. Chen Long now leads by two, going into the break. Just ten points from victory. That's short. And out. But after two quick errors from Chen, it is all tied once again. Exceedingly impressed. Oh. Oh, lucky. In a suddenly disastrous turn of events for Chen, he has a fault called by the referee on his net kill, as the shuttle had not crossed the net. He did indeed take the shuttle before it had crossed over. Chen quickly gained back his confidence. But Corden soon responded to regain the lead. Soon it becomes battle of the mind. Who dares to play? Going for those angled shots. Yeah, I agree. After multiple errors, no doubt due to nervousness, it was once again tied. Good net shot. It's going out. Push it into the court. Oh. In yet another disastrous turn for Chen Long, a second fault is called on his net kill, as the shuttle once again had not fully crossed the net. Direction. Oh, no. He was right. By the umpire. Spot on, yet again. That's any indication. Chen Long. Oh, dear. Well, that was a nervous shot. Now up by two, Corden was gaining more and more confidence. Points away from taking this match. Keep it down. Yeah. It's just long. A poor lift from a nervous Chen Long, and Corden is one point away from match point. Either player's match for the taking. Oh, yes. So, he should choose to attack. Chen Long finally catches some luck, as his push landed just on the tape, barely scraping over the net. And just like that, he was tied at 19 all. And short. Yeah. From trailing 17 to 19, Chen Long has just gotten three points in a row to reach match point before Corden. Could this be the end? Almost landed in. A crucial point. The shuttle barely landed inside the line. And so, the drama builds. Until they're clear. One match point saved. Yet another match point saved by Corden. He simply refused to lose. In a remarkable turn of events, it was now Corden who has the match point. But Corden failed to convert. In a moment of indecision, Corden missed Chen's backhand push, giving Chen his third match point. How much longer could Corden survive? Corden now has his second match point. All it takes now is one lucky shot for all of this to be over. But Chen was simply not letting it happen. With a sharp smash, it was all even yet again. An astounding play. Corden's lightning reflexes have earned him his third match point opportunity. He's got the nerve. That's it. The Great Wall of China seemed once again to crumble under Corden's relentless smashes. So, just like that, in 1 hour and 13 minutes, on an ordinary night in August of 2011, Kevin Corden, a low-ranking Guatemalan player, put off one of the biggest upsets in World Championship history. His ever-fighting spirit, refusing to give up, will live on forever in the hearts of Badminton fans worldwide.