INCHEON, South Korea: China’s Olympic champion Lin Dan shattered world number one Lee Chong Wei’s dreams of Asian Games gold on Sunday with a 22-20, 12-21, 21-9 victory in the semi-finals.
The Malaysian’s final Asian Games ended in heartbreak as he pulled back from a game down against his long-time nemesis but faded in the decider.
Defending champion Lin will face world title-holder Chen Long in the final after his Chinese stablemate easily beat Hong Kong’s Wei Nan 21-6 21-10 in the other semi.
But Lee, 31, was left to ponder the ruins of what was undoubtedly one of his last chances to outclass Lin on one of the sport’s big stages.
“He looked really confident in the third set and I could not follow him any more,” said Le e, who has announced this Asian Games will be his last.
“I have done my best and I accept defeat. Now I’ll go back (home) and have a rest before the next tournament.” Lin said he had been distracted by a disputed line call on one of his returns in the first game, which was called in by the line judge, but ruled out by the umpire.
“There was a misjudgment in the first game and that made me a little bit anxious, but I adjusted well,” said Lin, who said he relished any chance to line up against Lee.
“I treasured this opportunity to play with Lee because it’s a year since we last met — I had some difficulties in the match, but I managed to change my attitude and mood.”
The first game already had the hallmarks of a classic as both players punched back fast returns and forced each other to dive for long shots.
Lee started stronger, going into the break 11-5 up, but Lin quickly battled back with smashes and deft net shots, suddenly turning on the power for 13-13. — AFP