Olympics: China, Malaysia storm into badminton quarter-finals

Wednesday, 13 August 2008

BEIJING - China's Lin Dan and his team-mates stormed into the quarter-finals of the Olympic badminton competition on Tuesday with Malaysian star Lee Chong Wei hot on their heels.

China's world number one Lin beat South Korea's Park Sung-Hwan in straight sets while Bao Chunlai and Chen Jin also clinched quarter-finals places as China closed in on gold in the men's singles.

"It's because I devoted myself heart and soul in this match," world champion Lin said of his victory.

But second seed Lee, gunning for his country's first Olympic gold in any sport, warned his best badminton was yet to come after cruising past unfancied Kestutis Navickas from Lithuania.

"Maybe each match I can get better and better," Lee said.

The Chinese charge, however, was upstaged by Britain's Gail Emms and Nathan Robertson who stunned the home crowd with victory over second seeds Gao Ling and Zheng Bo in a three-game thriller in the mixed doubles.

The Athens silver medallists produced a gritty comeback against the Chinese after giving up a one game lead to win 21-16, 16-21, 21-19.

Robertson said they never stopped fighting in what was billed as a revenge clash after they lost the gold medal match to Gao and her former partner in Athens four years ago.

"If we thought we were finished we would have lost," said Robertson, who has just returned from ankle surgery that left him out of action for six weeks.

"That's what the Chinese do so well against us, they fight when they're down, then come back.

"They never give us anything, so it was fantastic to turn that on them for a change and come back from five points down in the third set."

Emms, who is retiring after these Games, said she was "elated, relieved," adding, "I just want to get on with the next match now".

The British duo now face South Korea's Lee Hyo-Jung and Lee Yong-Dae.

The outcome was a blow to China who are gunning for a clean sweep of the five golds, although they still have one pair left in the mixed doubles.

Lee is steeling himself for a showdown against sixth seed Sony Dwi Kuncoro, the bronze medallist in Athens and Indonesia's last remaining hope in the men's singles after defending champion Taufik Hidayat crashed out on Monday.

Lin takes on Denmark's Peter Gade after the veteran eighth seed fought off Japan's Shoji Sato in three games.

Third seed Bao faces South Korean champion Lee Hyun-Il in the quarters, while Chen meets Taiwan's Hsieh Yu-Hsing after he downed Malaysia's Wong Choong Hann late Tuesday in three gripping games.

In the men's doubles, Indonesia's top seeds Markis Kido and Hendra Setiawan were forced to fight hard against China's Guo Zhendong and Xie Zhongbo before prevailing in three games.

The Indonesians take on Malaysia's young guns Koo Kien Keat and Tan Boon Heong in the quarters.

Howard Bach and Bob Malaythong also made history by becoming the first badminton players from the United States to reach the last eight. They defeated South Africa's Chris and Roelof Dednam in straight sets.

The USA pair have a tough-looking quarter-final against China's second seeds Cai Yun and Fu Haifeng who defeated Danish veterans Jens Dyrloev Eriksen and Martin Lundgaard Hansen in straight sets.

However, Denmark remain in the medal hunt after Lars Paaske and Jonas Rasmussen beat South Korean third seeds Chung Jaesung and Lee Yongdae 2-0.

Men's singles (round of 16)

Sony Dwi Kuncoro (INA) bt Ville Lang (FIN) 21-13, 21-18
Lee Chong Wei (MAS) bt Kestutis Navickas (LTU) 21-5, 21-7
Lee Hyunil (KOR) bt Marc Zwiebler (GER) 21-13, 21-11
Bao Chunlai (CHN) bt Przemyslaw Wacha (POL) 21-11, 19-21, 21-13

Peter Gade (DEN) bt Shoji Sato (JPN) 19-21, 22-20, 21-15
Lin Dan (CHN) bt Park Sung-Hwan (KOR) 21-8, 21-11
Chen Jin (CHN) bt Erwin Kehlhoffner (FRA) 21-10, 21-6
Hsieh Yu-Hsing (TPE) bt Wong Choong Hann (MAS) 14-21, 21-17, 21-18

Men's doubles (round of 16)

Cai Yun/Fu Haifeng (CHN) bt Jens Dyrloev Eriksen/Martin Lundgaard Hansen (DEN) 21-12, 21-11

Howard Bach/Bob Malaythong (USA) bt Chris Dednam/Roelof Dednam (RSA) 21-10, 21-16

Keita Masuda/Tadashi Ohtsuka (JPN) bt Alvent Yulianto Chandra/Luluk Hadiyanto (INA) 19-21, 21-14, 21-14

Lars Paaske/Jonas Rasmussen (DEN) bt Chung Jaesung/Lee Yongdae (KOR) 21-16, 21-19

Koo Kien Keat/Tan Boon Heong (MAS) bt Shintaro Ikeda/Shuichi Sakamoto (JPN) 21-12, 21-16

Markis Kido/Hendra Setiawan (INA) bt Guo Zhendong/Xie Zhongbo (CHN) 22-20, 10-21, 21-17

Michal Logosz/Robert Mateusiak (POL) bt Ross Smith/Glenn Warfe (AUS) 21-13, 21-16

Lee Jae Jin/Hwang Ji Man (KOR) bt Choong Tan Fook/Lee Wan Wah (MAS) 20-22, 21-13, 21-16

Mixed doubles (round of 16)

Liliyana Natsir/Nova Widianto (INA) bt Han Sanghun/Hwang Yumi (KOR) 23-21, 21-19

Prapakamol Sudket/Thoungthongkam Saralee (THA) bt Mike Beres/Val Loker (CAN) 21-9, 21-9

He Hanbin/Yu Yang (CHN) bt Anthony Clark/Donna Kellogg (GBR) 21-15, 21-8

Nadiezda Kostiuczyk/Robert Mateusiak (POL) bt Juliette Ah-Wan/Georgie Cupidon (SEY) 21-8, 21-19

Gail Emms/Nathan Robertson (GBR) bt Gao Ling/Zheng Bo (CNH) 21-16, 16-21, 21-19

Flandy Limpele/Vita Marissa (INA) bt Kristof Hopp/Birgit Overzier (GER) 21-12, 21-12

Kamilla Rytter Juhl/Thomas Laybourn (DEN) bt Li Yujia/Hendri Kurniawan Saputra (SIN) 21-12, 21-14

Lee Hyo Jung/Lee Yong Dae (KOR) bt Craig Cooper/Renee Flavell (NZL) 21-12, 21-11