Fuzhou: Badminton super star Lin Dan continued his success on home soil as he saw off Taiwan’s Chou 21-17,21-17 in 49 minutes at the semi-final of China Open. The Taiwanese seemed a little tired against Lin after having fought off seventh-seeded Hu Yun from Hong Kong 21-18, 16-21, 21-17 in a marathon quarterfinal match that didn’t get started until 11:30 p.m. on Friday because of scheduling delays and lasted until 1 a.m. Saturday.
Lin Dan will play K. Srikanth of India on Sunday. Srikanth beat German Marc Zwiebler 21-11, 13-7 in a semi-final match which ended with a retirement after just 23 minutes. He couldn’t suppress his excitement as he talked of his next opponent being one of his heroes and that it was a “dream” for him to be facing the legend on his home turf. The Indian has lost both his previous meetings against Lin in the past.
“It was a sad way to reach the final. It would’ve been nice if I would’ve beaten him in a full match. I’m feeling good. It’s my first visit to China and I’m happy to reach the final,” said the 21-year-old Indian shuttler.
India will also be represented in the woman’s final after Saina Nehwal defeated Liu Xin of China 21-17, 21-17. Saina will battle Japan’s 18-year-old player Akane Yamaguchi in the final. Yamaguchi slammed her way into the women’s singles final with a 21-10, 25-23 victory against South Korean Bae Yeon Ju. The youngster defeated Wang Shixian, the second seed and also the second in world rankings, earlier in the tournament.
Here are other final matches on Sunday:
Mixed doubles
Zhang Nan-Zhao Yunlei (China) vs Yoo Yeon Seong/Eom Hye Won (Korea)
Women’s doubles
Wang Xiaoli-Yu Yang (China) vs Tian Qing-Zhao Yunlei (China)
Men’s doubles
Lee Yong Dae-Yoo Yeon Seong (Korea) vs Chai Biao-Hong Wei (China)
