Lin Dan in action during the semi-finals. Photo by Muhammad Rais Sanusi
KUCHING: Lin Dan has already booked his berth in the men’s singles final of the Malaysian Open and is waiting with bated breath to see if he will get a chance to meet arch rival Datuk Lee Chong Wei for the top honour.
The Chinese badminton sensation, who is seeded seventh, overcame fifth-seeded Son Wan Ho of South Korea in a thrilling three-setter before thousands of fans in the semifinals at Stadium Perpaduan Petra Jaya here today.
Lin Dan who is ranked sixth in the world took the first set 27-25, lost the second 19-21 to the fifth ranked opponent but bounced back to take the rubber 21-16 in match that lasted 84 minutes.
Today’s result put Lin Dan 10 up against Son Wan Ho after 12 encounters. World number one Chong Wei’s semifinal tie is after Lin Dan’s.
Lin Dan said that he was thankful the back pain he had since yesterday did not affect him today.
“I understand the fans have high hopes of me facing off against Lee Chong Wei in tomorrow’s match. The support of the fans here is boosting my spirit and having an opponent as strong as Chong Wei who is still performing at the top level is also a shot-in-the-arm for me,” he told reporters after the match.
Waiting for Lin Dan would be the winner of the match this evening between Chong Wei and a Hong Kong player Vincent Wong Wing Ki.
In the mixed doubles, fourth seeds from China Lu Kai-Huang Yaqiong shocked defending champions Tontowi Ahmad-Liliyana Natsir of Indonesia.
Lu Kai-Huang Yaqiong, ranked fourth in the world, beat the Indonesian pair who are ranked third and second seeds in straight sets of 21-8, 21-16 in 37 minutes.
When met by reporters, Lu Kai said their success today was spurred by six losses to the Indonesian pair in the past.
In the final, the Chinese pair will be meeting compatriots and world number three pair Zheng Siwei-Chen Qingche.
For the record, in the last meeting of the two pairs at the India Open early this month (April 2), Lu Kai-Huang Yaqiong beat Zheng Siwei-Chen Qingche in the final.
Earlier, Zheng Siwei-Chen Qingche had no problems beating another pair from China, Zhang Nan-Li Yinhui in straight sets.
Zheng Siwei-Chen Qingche, the top seeds, easily won 21-19, 21-14 to overcome fifth-seeded Zhang Nan-Li Yinhui in only 38 minutes. – Bernama