Olympic champion Lin Dan and world champion Chen Long were to clash for the first time in nearly two years at a Superseries event yesterday after the Chinese reached the All-England Championship semi-finals.
Fifth-seeded Lin took nearly an hour to beat Kento Momota of Japan 21-18, 21-19 on Friday, while top seed Chen’s one-sided 21-11, 21-11 win over Chou Tien-chen of Taiwan took 47 minutes.
Meanwhile, Tai Tzu-ying of Taiwan, the 20-year-old who won the BWF Superseries Finals in December last year, ousted South Korea’s Sung Ji-hyun and was to play world champion Carolina Marin of Spain in the semi-finals of the women’s dompetition.
Lin’s victory means he is one match away from a ninth final appearance at the All-England event since 2004 as he bids for a sixth title, a record matched by only three other players.
“I adjusted my mentality really well and it was a calm and controlled performance,” the 31-year-old said.
After admitting being “rusty” during the early rounds, Lin had to be at his obdurate best against a quick-footed opponent.
At times Lin looked to be conserving energy, but he also had to stem a gritty comeback from Momota in the second game as the Japanese racked up four points in a row from 18-12 down.
“He played really quick, so I had to try and prevent him from attacking,” Lin said. “I lost concentration a little, but I stayed calm.”
Chen, 26, has never beaten Lin in their six meetings on the world tour since 2009, but the way he dismantled Chou, mixing a powerful array of forehand smashes with deft drops, suggests that record could be altered.
World No. 1 Chen said the opportunities to play Lin were diminishing as his decorated opponent reaches the tail end of his career.
In the women’s draw, Ratchanok Intanon of Thailand, who became the youngest world champion in 2013, had to retire after leaving her quarter-final in a wheelchair after suffering cramp.
Sun Yu of China had fought back from 11-5 down to lead 19-13 before Intanon fell awkwardly going for a backhand return.
The injury was mysteriously self-inflicted as she attempted a routine smash, during which she toppled and fell prostrate. Eventually she was declared to have cramp in a calf muscle.
It was hard not to sense that the injury had been related to self-inflicted wounds of a different kind, as Intanon produced some spectacular misses when in favorable situations to win the match.
She should have reached 19-19 in the second game but when presented with a short clear she dumped a smash into the net. Intanon should then have reached 13-7 in the third game but missed another smash from even closer in, with Sun turning away to protect herself.
Sun was to play India’s Saina Nehwal, who beat China’s Wang Yihan for the first time.
Additional reporting by AFP
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