DOHA, Dec. 14 (Xinhua) -- Top seed Lee Hyung Taik said on Thursday that it was the fever that cost him the victory in the men's singles final of the Asian Games tennis tournament.

    The hottest favorite lost to Thai Danai Udomchoke 7-5, 6-3 in just one hour and 32 minutes at the center court of the Khalifa International Tennis and Squash Complex.

    "The fever came after my match against Mamiit (in the semifinal on Tuesday). I even thought I might not be able to play today. I lost in the end, but I did my best," said Lee. "I lost my strength from the fever.

    "I felt better than it was yesterday, but I still haven't fully recovered. I could have concentrated on the singles game rather than the team event, but I did not. The coaches and the team were doing their best to win the team title, so I did my best as well,and I didn't pull out (from the singles final)."

    "We could have used throat medicine, but it was against the doping regulations, so we could not use it. Lee has been coughing often, and he hasn't been able to sleep," added South Korean coach Jeon Young Dai after the match.

    49th-ranked Lee toppled Paradorn Srichaphan from Thailand to be the Asian number one this November and led South Korea to the men's team title on December 8 after rallying to beat Japan 2-1 at Doha.

    "This will probably be my last Asian Games and it would have been nice to win the team and singles, but it still comforts me to know that at least I won the team event," said 31-year-old Lee.