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LONDON -- Chinese shuttlers, led by defending champion Lin Dan, make a spurt to Olympic podium, after defeating their rivals on Thursday at the Wembley Arena.
Lin dropped a game to Japanese shuttler Sasaki Sho before winning the hard battle, so as to advance into the semifinal of men's singles.
Both left-handed players, their competition was so fierce that each exchange took a long time. The pair dashed across the court, falling down sometimes for retrieve.
Lin, 29, who tops the world's ranking, controlled the rhythm of the first game with a 21-12 result.
In the second game, Lin changed a racket. The more aggressive Sasaki spared no effort in each shot, frequently changing direction and speed. In comparison, the Chinese star made some wrong judgements on where the shuttlecock would land. With his last shot crossing the side line, the set ended 16-21.
Lin displayed his explosiveness in the decider, lashing smashes to pull ahead. As Sasaki made his last attempt with a forceful strike, the world champion threw himself down on the court to hit back, but the shuttlecock dropped beyond the line. 21-17.
"He is a very good player, very tenacious," he said after the match. "He is the same age as me and this is his last Olympics as well, so he tried his best."
Lin said he played smoothly in the first set, while in the second, when he was behind, he mindset wasn't good. "I didn't do quite well, especially when I failed to build on my lead. But I didn't make big mistakes and I believe I will do better."
In the next match he will be playing against world seventh seed Lee Hyun Il from South Korea. In their previous 16 encounters Lin holds 13 victories.
Lee Hyun Il edged out another Chinese player Chen Jin to make to the semifinal.
"I did my best and it has already been a success to come here," Chen said.
The fourth seed, 26, said he has been playing badminton for nearly 20 years. "This is not my last Olympics. I am still young and I have the ability to compete."
Earlier on Thursday, another Chinese player Chen Long defeated veteran shuttler Peter Gade from Denmark. He will meet the Malaysian badminton legend Lee Chong Wei in the semifinals.
In women's singles, three Chinese shuttlers, Wang Yihan, Wang Xin and Li Xuerui, defeated their rivals to advance into the semifinal.
Wang Yihan, China's No. 1 seed, beat Cheng Shao Chieh from Chinese Taipei 21-14 and 21-11. She appeared sluggish and stumbled at the beginning of the first game, with the following three services missed. After the interval, Yihan seemed to regain her dominance on the court. The second game seemed easier, when the 24-year-old Chinese overpowered Cheng.
"I played against her last year in the final of the world championships. It's been a year so I thought it would be very tough," Wang said.
"I'm getting much closer to the medal but I never think about the future. I'm just thinking about tomorrow's match because the competition is strong."
On the next court her teammate Wang Xin was having a difficult time facing Ratchanok Intanon from Thailand, before winning in three games, 17-21, 21-18 and 21-14.
The world's No. 2 seed breezed past Intanon in the first game, while the second one was like a replay of Yihan's first game at the beginning, but ended with different result.
When the second game started, Xin appeared fretful. Spectators from the Thailand sang to cheer up their player, while Chinese shouted "Wang Xin, be patient," and Li Yongbo, China's badminton head coach, told her from outside the arena to serve short.
In the decider, she was once so tired after winning a score, that she lay down on the court. Intanon was making more mistakes, hitting the shuttlecock outside the court or touching net.
Talking about the competition, she said she was nervous in the first game. "In the second I was still a bit immersed in the previous game and I had to adjust my mindset to ensure I didn't make mistakes," she said. "We were both using similar strategies and a lot of energy in the second game. I had to work very hard to pull away from her."
Fledgling player Li Xuerui outplayed Yip Pui Yin from Hong Kong easily in the first game at 21-12. She was once 16-20 behind in the second, where the 21-year-old Olympic debutant managed to save four match points with stunning performance, enjoying her 22-20 victory amid applause.
The fact that three Chinese players in the semifinal means that China could at least pocket two medals. Wang Yihan will be playing Indian shuttler Saina Nehwal, world's No. 4 seed and quarterfinalist at the Beijing Olympics. Yihan has beaten her five times.
Another match will be between Wang Xin and Li Xuerui. Li has never won over Xin in previous five encounters. They were too familiar with each other, which is both her advantage and disadvantage.
Thursday also saw the victory of two Chinese mixed double pairs, Zhang Nan/Zhao Yunlei and Xu Chen/Ma Jin, who will be vying for the gold on Friday.
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