Super Dan advances but Xie falters at National Games

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(Xinhua)
Updated: 2009-10-16 15:09

QINGDAO: "Super Dan", as Chinese top shuttler Lin Dan was nicknamed, launched his bid for the men's singles title with a comfortable win but his girl friend Xie Xingfang stumbled at the 11th Chinese National Games here on Thursday.

Beijing Olympic champion Lin continued his ease since men's team competitions. In the men's singles second round, Lin, who plays for People's Liberation Army, crumbled Jiangsu's Li Yu 21-6, 21-10 to advance to the quarterfinals. As the top seed, Lin enjoyed a bye in the first round.

As the defending champion, Lin never said he was poised to defend the title. "The National Games is really hard as there are many tough guys like Bao Chunlai and Chen Jin."

Hunan's Bao beat Zhu Pengxiang from Guangdong 21-12, 21-8 and Chen, who plays for Jiangsu, pipped Beijing's Du Pengyu 21-17, 21-10.

Guangxi's Chen Yu, current national coach, overcame Qiu Yanbo from Jiangsu 21-16, 12-21 and 21-16. Zhou Wenlong from Liaoning and Hu Yun, who represents Hong Kong of China, enjoyed a walkover in the second round.

Gao Huan from Liaoning, world No. 85 and Guangdong's Zhu Weilun also made the quarters.

Chen Long, 2007 world junior champion, stumbled in the first round earlier in the morning. Chen was regarded as a giant killer.

In the Indian Open in March, Chen overcame Beijing Olympic runner-up Lee Choog Wei of Malaysia, and in the preliminaries of men's team competitions at the National Games in May he outplayed Lin Dan, who lauded that Chen will be one of the best players in the near future.

In Malaysia Open in June, Chen continued his giant-killing run by defeating Athens Olympic champion Hidayat Taufik of Indonesia.

Elsewhere, Beijing Olympic silver medalist Xie Xingfang, who represents Guangdong, ended her women's singles trip after conceding to world No. 1 Wang Lin from Zhejiang 21-15, 21-16 in the quarterfinals.

"Physical condition is a problem for me so I could not pick up my speed during the match," said Xie.

Xie, 29, might retire after the National Games and take up college studies.

"I have submitted my application and it has been approved," added Xie." After the National Games, I will take a break to prepare myself mentally and physically for a new life."

Lin Dan considered Xie's decision as "very normal".

"Every athlete will retire one day. And whatever she chooses to do after she retires, I am always on her side."

Xie won the silver medal in the Beijing Olympics after losing to compatriot Zhang Ning in the final. She was also a twice world champion in 2006 and 2007.

When asked about China's reserve players, Xie said that some of them have matured and will soon be the backbone of the Chinese badminton.

Jiangsu's Wang Shixian, newly crowned in China Master in September, beat world No. 3 Wang Yihan from Shanghai in the first game 21-12. But the latter pulled one point back in the second at 21-11. In the decider, Wang Yihan even led 17-12 but still lost at 21-19.

Defending champion Jiang Yanjiao, who plays for People's Liberation Army, retired in the third game, losing to Li Wen from Hubei 14-21, 21-15, 12-17.

The remaining semifinal berth went to Liu Jian from Guangdong, who overcame Wang Xin from People's Liberation Army 19-21, 21-16 and 21-13.

In the second round in the morning, world champion Lu Lan from Jiangsu and world No. 2 Zhou Mi who plays for Hong Kong, were both ousted.

The mixed doubles semi berths went to Zheng Bo and Tian Qing of Hunan, Shen Ye and Ma Jin of Shandong, Li Rui and Zhao Yunlei of Hubei and He Hanbin and Zhao Tingting of People's Liberation Army.

The last eight berths of men's and women's doubles were also decided but there were no upsets as men's top and second seeds Zhu Lihua/Fu Haifeng from Guangdong and Cai Yun/Xu Chen from Jiangsu both went through.

For the women's part, Athens Olympic champions Yang Wei and Zhang Jiewen from Guangdong and Beijing Olympic gold medalists Du Jing and Yu Yang waltzed into the quarters.