Thriller in store as Lin Dan faces Chong Wei in the semis
WUHAN: Defending champion Lin Dan will face Lee Chong Wei for a place in the men's singles semifinals of the Dong Feng Citroen Badminton Asia Championships here on Saturday.
Lin Dan, the second seed, strolled to a 21-15, 21-11 win over Korea's up and coming Lee Dong Kuen and proved that he is still the man to beat in Wuhan. The five-time world champion won the China Masters in Jiangsu last week and looks good enough to retain the his Asian title.
The badminton world has been waiting for the Lin Dan-Chong Wei clash after several misses in other tournaments – with each of them picking up surprise defeats in earlier rounds.
Chong Wei, who is seeded third in Wuhan, was given some resistance by Taiwan's Chou Tien-chen in the quarter-finals before the Malaysian prevailed with a 21-16, 21-18.
Lin Dan holds a significant edge over Chong Wei, having won 25 out of 35 meetings between the two stars. Chong Wei however, has shown that he is capable of holding his own against any of his rivals after he defeated Chen Long to win his 11th Malaysian Open title last month.
Chen Long, world No 1 and top seed, outplayed Indonesia's seventh seed Tommy Sugiarto 21-16, 21-14 in 50 minutes to earn a semi-final clash against last year's runners-up and fifth seeded compatriot Tian Houwei, who packed off Taiwan's Wang Tzu Wei 21-15, 19-21, 21-16 in 66 minutes.
In the women's singles top seed Li Xuerui won 21-17, 21-19 against Taiwan's Tai Tzu Ying 21-17, 21-19. In the semifinals, Xuerui will take on seventh-seeded Korean Sung Ji Hyun who took 84 minutes beat Japan's Sayala Sato 21-15, 16-21, 21-13.
In the other semi-final India's Saina Nehwal (5th seed) raised her game to beat China's third seed Wang Shixian 21-16, 21-19 with the head-to-head record standing at seven all. The Indian had lost to Shixian in the last two meetings.
Nehwal will face sixth seed Wang Yihan who battled for 81 minutes before overcoming All-England champion Nozomi Okuhara 8-21, 21-13, 21-18.
Defending men's doubles champions Lee Yong Dae-Yoo Yeon Seong staved off a strong challenge from China's Liu Xiaolong-Qiu Zihan to prevail 21-11, 18-21, 21-18 in 73 minutes.
In the semifinals, the Korean top seeds will take on Japan's Takeshi Kamura-Keigo Sonoda who got the better of Indonesia's Gideon Markus Fernaldi-Kevin Sanjaya Sukamuljo 21-18, 17-21, 21-16.
In the other semi-finals China's Li Junhui-Liu Yuchen beat Taiwan's Chen Hung-ling-Wang Chi-lin 21-17, 16-21, 21-12 while fourth seeds Fu Haifeng-Zhang Nan won 21-17, 21-18 against sixth seeded Koreans Ko-Sung Hyun-Shin Baek Cheol.
QUARTER-FINAL RESULTS
Men's singles
Chen Long (Chn) Tommy Sugiarto (Ina) 21-16, 21-14
>Lin Dan (Chn) beat Lee Dong Keun (Kor) 21-15, 21-11
Lee Chong Wei (Mas) beat Chou Tien-chou 21-16, 21-18
Tian Houwei (Chn) beat Wang Tzu-wei (Tpe) 21-15, 19-21, 21-16
Men's doubles
Liu Junhui-Liu Yuchen (Chn) beat Chen Hung-ling-Wang Ch-lin (Tpe) 21-17, 16-21, 21-12
Takeshi Kamura-Keigo Sonoda (Jpn) beat Gideon Marcus Fernaldi-Kevin Sanjaya Sukamuljo (Ina) 21-18. 17-21, 21-16
Lee Yong Dae-Yoo Yeon Seong (Kor) beat Liu Xiaolong-Qiu Zihan (Chn) 21-11, 18-21, 21-18
Fu Haifeng-Zhang Nan (Chn) beat Ko Sung-hyun-Shin Baek-cheol (Kor) 21-17, 21-18
Women's singles
Saina Nehwal (Ind) beat Wang Shixian (Chn) 21-16, 21-19
Wang Yihan (Chn) beat Nozomi Okuhara (Jpn) 8-21, 21-13, 21-19
Li Xuerui (Chn) beat Tai Tzu Ying (Tpe) 21-17, 21-19
Sung Ji-hyun (Kor) beat Sayaka Sato (Jpn) 21-15. 16-21, 21-13
Women's doubles
Misaki Matsutomo-Ayaka Takahashi (Jpn) beat Puttita Supajirakul-Sapsiree Taerattanacai (Tha) 21-12, 21-15
Chang Ye Na-Lee So Hee (Kor) beat Tian Qing-Zhao Yunlei (Chn) 21-18, 21-10
Nitya Krishinda Maheswari-Greysia Polii (Ina) beat Jung Kyung Eun-Shin Seung Chan 21-13, 11-21, 21-18
Naoko Fukuman-Kurumi Yonao (Jpn) beat Luo Ying-Luo Yu (Chn) 22-20, 18-21, 21-14
Mixed doubles
Zhang Nan-Zhao Yunlei (Chn) beat Kim Gi Jung-Shin Seung Chan (Kor) 21-14, 21-10
Tontowi Ahmad-Liliyana Natsir (Ina) beat Choi Solgyu-Eom Hye Won (Kor) 21-16, 21-15
Ko Sung Hyun-Kim Ha Na (Kor) beat Lu Kai-Huang Yaqiong (Chn) 21-18, 21-16
Shin Baek Cheol-Chae Yoo Jung (Kor) beat Bodin Issara-Savitree Amitrapai (Tha) 21-14, 21-18
