Lee Chong Wei, Lin Dan check into Badminton Asia Championships quarters

Wuhan: Lee Chong Wei has resisted a stirring first-set fightback from Hong Kong's Vincent Wong Wing Ki before the Malaysian moved on with 23-21, 21-12 to the Badminton Asia Championships (BAC) quarter-finals on Thursday.

The World No. 2 Lee remained on course to meet Lin Dan in semi-finals after the two time Olympics champion Lin safely made it through over Vietnam's Nguyen Tien Minh 21-1, 21-11 in 39 minutes.

Lee Chong Wei will take on Taiwan's Chou Tien Chen in the quarters, while Lin Dan will square off against Lee Dong Keun on Friday.

Malaysia's independent shuttler Zulfadli Zulkiffli was no match for the Chinese ace, World No. 1 Chen Long in the men's second round. Chen duly prevailed 21-12, 21-10. Chen and No. 7 seed Tommy Sugiarto are set to meet in the quarter-finals.

Li Junhui/Liu Yuchen pulled off the biggest upset of the day in Wuhan on Thursday, beating second-seeded Indonesian men's doubles pair Mohammad Ahsan/Hendra Setiawan 15-21, 21-15, 21-13 to push their ways into the quarter-finals.

In women's competition, 2012 Olympic champion Li Xuerui of China set pulses racing as she was dicing with danger several times before dousing the fireworks of Japanese Akane Yamaguchi with a pulsating 21-16, 18-21, 21-19 BAC second round victory on Thursday. Li is set to clash with Tai Tzu Ying of Taiwan on Friday.

India's Saina Nehwal also brushed aside Thailand's Nitchaon Jindapol in straight games 21-14, 21-18 to play third seeded Chinese Wang Shixian next.

On the other hand, World No. 1 women's singles shuttler Ratchanok Intanon suffered a shock second round exit at the Wuhan Sports Center Gymnasium as she was knocked out by world No. 14 Sayaka Sato as she lost 17-21, 21-16, 21-17 in 63 minutes.

Adcocks keep European title dream alive after scare

Mixed doubles top seeds Chris and Gabby Adcock were given a mighty scare in the last 16 of the European Championships.

The Superseries champions, aiming for a first European individual title, were taken the distance by Nico Ruponen and Amanda Hogstrom of Sweden before coming through 21-13, 17-21, 21-18.

They were ahead 8-4 in the decider but the Swedes levelled at 18-18 before the English pair's class told.

Marcus Ellis and Chris Langridge found proceedings to their advantage as the third seeds secured their last eight place thanks to a 21-14, 21-10 victory in 41 minutes over Zvonimir Durkinjak and Zvonimir Hoelbling.

Rajiv Ouseph, England's number one and fifth seed, secured his quarter-final place with a 42-minute victory over Frenchman Lucas Corvee.Ouseph won 23-21, 21-15 to set up an enticing clash with Denmark's Hans-Kristian Vittinghus on Friday.
Fontaine Chapman exited the women's singles, but not before testing Germany's fourth seed Karin Schnaase to the hilt. The German prevailed 21-18, 19-21, 21-12 over 51 minutes.

Meanwhile unseeded Heather Olver and Lauren Smith put up a brilliant fight against third-seeded Bulgarians Gabriel and Stefani Stoeva, but they were just edged out 22-20, 15-21, 21-18.

In an Anglo-Scottish battle, Matthew Nottingham and Harley Towler lost out to Rob Blair and Adam Hall 21-14, 21-18.

The Scots next meet Ellis and Langridge in Friday's quarter-finals.

Denmark's number eight seeds Niclas Nohr and Sara Thygesen were 21-11, 21-8 winners over Gregory Mairs and Jenny Moore.

And Jess Pugh and Sarah Walker's bid ended to Johanna Goliszewski and Carla Nelte, Germany's fourth seeds.

Lee Chong Wei, Lin Dan & Chen Long are top guns to watch at Badminton Asia Championships

Wuhan: Badminton Asia Championships (BAC) begins on Tuesday, and the badminton fans in China are starting to get hyped up for badminton's big three to clash in Wuhan.

World No. 2 Lee Chong Wei who made a special guest appearance at the "Black Mountain Valley" championships that offered the highest ever total prize money in amateur badminton with about $1 million Chinese Yuan ($154,003 USD) in Chongqing on Sunday, is set to kick off his opener against World No. 11 Wang Zhengming in the first round BAC.

Two-time Olympic champion Lin Dan who just came off a China Masters victory on Sunday, has also travelled to Wuhan for BAC in the build-up to the Rio Olympics.

If the seeds hold up, Lee Chong Wei would set up a mouthwatering semi-final clash with Lin Dan at BAC.

World No. 1 Chen Long has to be happy that both Lee and Lin are in the other half. Other than that, Chen who was drawn into the top half of the draw, became the heavy favorite to advance to the finals

In women's singles, despite her fatigue, defending champion and World No. 1 Ratchanok Intanon of Thailand will be eyeing her second gold medal at the Badminton Asia Championship in Wuhan, China. Meanwhile, India's Saina Nehwal and PV Sindhu will carry the Indian challenges in the women's event.

BAC is the last tournaments for the Asian shuttlers to clinch world ranking points before the deadline for the 2016 Rio Olympics Games qualification ends at the end of April.

Lin Dan remains as dangerous as ever, wins China Masters

Two-time Olympic champion Lin Dan kicked off 2016 with a remarkable run of winning 2 consecutive titles at German Open and the All England Open, then he failed in India Open, Malaysia Open and Singapore Open.

The Chinese badminton maestro showed that he is still dangerous, hungry and capable of being a threat to win a major tournament on Sunday when he claimed his sixth China Masters badminton crown by defeating his compatriot World No. 1 Chen Long 21-17, 23-21 in 65 minutes at the Changzhou Olympic Centre in Jiangsu, China.

Lin Dan previously won the China Masters in 2005, 2007, 2009, 2010 and 2014, while Chen Long won it in 2011 and 2012. Lin Dan's China Masters victory can set the tone for Lin Dan to capture his third Olympic gold medal in the Rio Olympics in August.
World No. 1 men's pair Lee Yong-Dae/Yoo Yeon-Seong exacted their revenge on compatriots Kim Gi-Jung/Kim Sa-Rang, taking down the No. 3 seeds in straight sets, winning 21-17, 21-14 in 41 minutes. The two pairs last met two weeks ago at the Malaysia Open, where Kim Gi-Jung/Kim Sa-Rang defeated Lee Yong-Dae/Yoo Yeon-Seong 21-16, 21-12 in the semi-final encounter

In women's competition, No. 1 seed Li Xuerui needed 63 minutes to knock off her junior and No. 5 seed Sun Yu 21-16, 19-21, 21-6 to win her first China Masters title.

In a 85-minute marathon match, the Luo sisters – Luo Ying and Luo Yu came from behind after dropping a set to overcome compatriots Chen Qingchen/Jia Yifan 16-21, 21-15, 21-18 to clinch their second China Masters title.
Xu Chen-Ma Jin who won the China Masters title in 2011 and 2012, saw off their younger junior compatriots Zheng Siwei-Chen Qingchen in 35 minutes with 21-17, 21-15.
Results of China Masters finals:

Men’s singles
Lin Dan (Chn) beat Chen Long (Chn) 21-17, 23-21
Men’s doubles
Lee Yong-dae-Yoo Yeon-seong (Kor) beat Kim Gi-jung-Kim Sa-rang (Kor) 21-17, 21-14
Women’s singles
Li Xuerui (Chn) beat Sun Yu (Chn) 21-16, 19-21, 21-6
Women’s doubles
Luo Ying-Luo Yu (Chn) beat Chen Qingchen-Jia Yifan (Chn) 16-21, 21-15, 21-18
Mixed doubles
Xu Chen-Ma Jin (Chn) beat Zheng Siwei-Chen Qingchen 21-17, 21-15

No problem as Chen Long, Lin Dan advance into China Masters 3rd round

• Chen Long
• Lin Dan
• 2016 China Masters

Jiangsu: With the support of home crowds, World No. 1 Chen Long and two-time Olympic Champion Lin Dan eased into the China Masters third round on Wednesday.

Top seed Chen Long took just 37 minutes to brush off compatriot Ren Pengbo in the Changzhou Olympic Center in Jiangsu.

Ren was able to offer up some genuine resistance against the No. 1 seed Chen Long, with the lead switching hands on several occasions, but the unflappable Chen Long quickly regained his composure and balance to wrap up a pretty straightforward 21-11, 21-17 win. Chen will take on 2014 Nanjing Youth Olympic Games gold medalist Shi Yuqi of China next.
Lin Dan, the Chinese badminton maestro romped to the third round with convincing win against Cheng Po Wei of Taipei. Lin Dan leading virtually from start to finish in both sets to send his Taiwanese opponent packing with 21-12, 21-10 in 24 minutes. Lin will next take on Japan's Riichi Takeshita, who was a 21-11, 21-14 winner over Zhou Zeqi.
Others to advance on Wednesday included mixed doubles top seeds Xu Chen/Ma Jin of China, the world No. 1 men's pair Lee Yong Dae/Yoo Yeon Seong of South Korea, women's doubles top seeds Luo Ying/Luo Yu, and women's singles No. 1 seed Li Xuerui.

Four facts that prove badminton is the best sport at the Olympics

What’s your favourite sport at the Olympics? After reading this, it will definitely be badminton.
As Rio draws ever closer, we’re taking a look at each of the Olympic sports in turn. This week, we’re dropping in on the badminton court.

1. Badminton might come over all quaint and uncontroversial, but nothing could be further from the truth.

The sport exploded onto the back pages during the 2012 Olympics when eight players – two pairs from China and one each from South Korea and Indonesia – were disqualified for not trying in an attempt to manipulate the draw for the knockout stages.

advertisement

Unable to play media

source:

Embed video Dimensions: 320x240 480x320 1280x720

Tap to unmute

00:00

Blue Billywig Video Player

2. An early Japanese derivative of badminton was called hanetsuki.

Played with wooden paddles, it also differed in that the broad aim was for the two players to combine in an attempt to keep the shuttlecock in the air as long as possible. Each time they missed a hit, female players were marked on their faces with India Ink. Still played in some parts, hanetsuki is a favourite of Japanese anime cartoonists.
3. Double Olympic and five-time world champion Lin Dan is generally regarded to be one of the best players in the history of the game.

However he caused controversy in the 2012 Olympics when he revealed a series of tattoos, which include his favourite anime cartoon, and five stars to represent his five world triumphs. Chinese observers protested Lin’s tattoos were in contravention of both his military status and religious beliefs.
4. Cementing his status as a godsend for those compiling lists of badminton controversies, Lin also makes the cut for an incident in the 2008 Korean open when he tried to physically attack the South Korean coach Mi Mao.

After losing his final match to a series of doubtful line calls, Lin lost his cool and the pair had to be separated by officials. The World Badminton Federation neglected to take further action.

KEYWORDS: Badminton, Olympics, Olympics 2016

Top 5 men’s singles contenders for the China Masters GPG

With the 2016 Bonny China Masters being the final Grand Prix Gold event on the BWF calendar before the qualification period for the Rio Olympic Games ends on May 1, a bevy of stars has already descended on the Chinese city of Jiangsu. Competition will be tough as everyone will be aiming to produce their very best and grab those valuable points to get a chance to compete for Olympic medals.

There have been a few inconsistencies from the biggest stars this season which is why the field at the China Masters is pretty wide open. Here are the five players who can clinch the men’s singles title:

1. Chen Long

 

If World No. 1 Chen Long has his eyes firmly set on the Rio Olympic gold in August, then he has a lot of work to do. For, a year after completing his most successful season, the 27-year-iold Chinese has simply flattered to deceive.

He has lacked in his usual sharpness in 2016 and has unbelievably failed to win a single title in the three Superseries events that he entered. Back home in front of his own adoring fans, the two-time China Masters champion would be looking for the extra motivation to finally lay his hands on a trophy this season.

The top seed starts off his campaign against the 406th Ren Pengbo of China in the second round.

2. Lin Dan

There is every sign that badminton legend Lin Dan might be able to claim a hat-trick of Olympic gold medals in men’s singles this summer at Rio. He surged to his sixth All England title in March and set an early marker for the coveted yellow metal.

But there are still a few inconsistencies in his game that saw him fall before the semis at the Superseries events in India and Malaysia while at Singapore he lost a close three-setter semi-final.

Perhaps all ‘Super Dan’ needs is a few more wins to get that edge over others at the crucial moments. The China Masters is one of his happy hunting grounds where he has already claimed the men’s singles title five times. He will definitely look to add more to that incredible tally.

The second seed cruised to the second round on Tuesday with a straight-game win over Brunei’s Jaspar Woon Chai Yu and has Taipei’s Cheng Po Wei up next.

 3. Huang Yuxiang

Huang Yuxiang cannot be better prepared before arriving in Jiangsu for the 2016 China Masters. A year after losing the final to compatriot Wang Zhengming in a tight two-game match, the 23-year-old Chinese has got a big boost by winning the New Zealand Open Grand Prix Gold in March. Besides, he was also the runner-up at the Syed Modi GPG in January.

There is no doubt that after such strong performances, the 44th ranked player will be looking to go one better this time.

After triumphing over Lin Chia Hsuan in three games in the opener, Yuxiang has the barrier of HS Prannoy to cross in the second round

4. HS Prannoy

With his attacking play, India’s HS Prannoy possesses the skills to beat the best in the business and contend for the top titles. The seventh seed is no stranger to making giant-killing runs and if he can keep his errors at bay, he is a danger for the top players at any tournament.

Another quality that stands out about the 23rd ranked Indian is that he is fearless and he showed that in abundance last week at the Singapore Open where he was just two points away from stunning the World No. 1 Chen Long. This season, he is gradually coming back to form which was evidenced by his big win at the Swiss Open Grand Prix Gold in March.

At the China Masters, he started the first round with a tough three-game win over Malaysia’s Joo Ven Soong and would definitely concentrate on improving further as the tournament progresses.

5. Sho Sasaki

 

He might be 33 and has not won an international title in years. But the 10th seeded Japanese has been a former semi-finalist at the China Masters and is certainly familiar with the atmosphere at this event.

Purely for his immense experience, Sasaki should be in the contenders list. If the draw opens up, he can cause quite a stir.

He has already notched up an easy straight-game victory over Uzbek player Artyom Savatyugin on Tuesday.  Chen Long looms large in the third round against whom he trails 0-5. But the Chinese himself has not been in the best of form the last few weeks. Sasaki thus can surely fancy his chances.

 

Nippon Badminton Association fired Kenta Nishimoto for casino visit

The betting scandal continued to send shockwaves through Japan's badminton community, when the Nippon Badminton Association suffered a further blow on Tuesday after World No. 43 men's singles player Kenta Nishimoto has been identified as its latest shuttler to have visited an illegal casino

The Japan's badminton governing body has been investigating its 106 players and staff to ascertain whether they were involved in illegal gambling since 2014, after its World No. 3 player Kento Momota was found guilty to have visited illegal casino and was banned from competition indefinitely.

The 21-year-old Kenta Nishimoto admitted he went to a casino twice in February and March last year.
"Nishimoto told us he went to an illegal casino in Tokyo twice between February and March last year, but claimed he did not bet," said Nippon Badminton Association official Yuichi.
Kenta Nishimoto who is still a student at Chuo University has received a warning and was removed from the Japan national team.

China's Fu/Zhang win badminton men's doubles in Singapore Open

China's badminton duo Fu Haifeng and Zhang Nan were crowned after a fierce men's doubles matchup with their Japanese counterparts Takeshi Kamura and Keigo Sonoda in Singapore Open on Sunday.
Indonesia's Sony Dwi Kuncoro and Thailand's Ratchanok Intanon won men's and women's singles finale respectively.
Fourth seeds Fu Haifeng and Zhang Nan turned in a rampant performance to win at 21-11, 22-20.
"We encountered some difficulties in the second game, with the Japanese pair competing against us very fiercely, but we finally made it by encouraging each other," Zhang said.
33-year-old Fu said the champion has been his most-wanted one since he finished the Sudirman Cup last year, and success here offered them great courage to prepare for the upcoming Thomas Cup.
As of the Rio Olympics, Fu said it would be his fourth Olympic Games and he "has no burden and only wants to play well in every game".
Ratchanok has completed a historical hat-trick in Superseries, following victories in India Open and Malaysia Open earlier this month.
The Thai shuttler came back from a set down to win defending champion Sun Yu 18-21, 21-11, 21-14, dethroning Carolina Marin as the new world No. 1 in women's singles.
Ratchanok became the first women' s singles shuttler to win three straight titles in a month.
Ratachanok said: "Today I made many mistakes and so did my opponent but I managed to get back into the game earlier than her."
"I just tried to relax. My target was to be world No. 1 and now I'm looking forward to the Olympics where I want to win the gold medal for Thailand," added the 21-year-old.

"She changed some of her tactics during the last two sets and I did not have much to tackle her back. I got more panicky when she started to change her strategies and made a few mistakes," said Sun.
Kuncoro completed what has been a truly remarkable tournament as he won men' s singles title after his triumph over South Korean Son Wan Ho in the final, joining the likes of Boonsak Ponsana and Taufik Hidayat as shuttlers who have won the Singapore Open twice.
Kuncoro, 31, who qualified for the main draw after two wins in the qualifying rounds, was riding on the confidence from usurping two-time Olympic gold medalist Lin Dan just a day earlier as he cruised to a win in his first game 21-16.
But a second game riddled with Kuncoro's errors saw Son take advantage and win 21-13 as the match went to rubber. Then Kuncoro dug deep and showed just why he had deserved a place in the final, storming to a 21-14 win in the tiebreaker.
Kuncoro, who played six matches prior to the final, said: "It' s really unexpected that I won."
"It' s such a big achievement to pass the qualifiers and win this tournament. I just enjoyed today' s game and was able to play well," he said.
In women's doubles, Indonesia pair Nitya Krishinda Maheswari and Greysia Polii were crowned after Japan's Misaki Matsutomo and Ayaka Takahashi withdrew from the final due to a left ankle injury to Matsutomo.
The mixed doubles titleholder were South Korean pair Ko Sung Hyun and Kim Ha Na, who won in straight sets 21-17, 21-14 over China' s Xu Chen and Ma Jin.

Ratchanok world No 1

Thai badminton sensation Ratchanok Intanon made the country proud yesterday when she unofficially claimed the world No 1 spot following a magnificent come-from-behind victory over title-holder Sun Yu.

She is the first Thai badminton player to become world number one. The world body governing the sport is due to announce world rankings on Thursday.It was the third consecutive victory for Ratchanok, affectionately called "Nong May" by fans, in the past three weeks of the World Superseries.

In the heart-pounding final showdown of the OUE Singapore Open yesterday, world No 2 and third seed Ratchanok achieved a dramatic 18-21 21-11 21-14 win over China's Sun Yu. Ratchanok is the second Thai in history to win this top-flight competition. Boonsak Ponsana was the first Thai to clinch the men's singles crown in the Singapore Open in 2007, repeating the feat in 2012.

Ratchanok's win yesterday also shattered Chinese domination of the Singapore event. Wang Yihan had won the 2013 and 2014 tournaments, with Sun Yu taking the 2015 title.

Ratchanok, 21, from Yasothon, turned professional in 2007. At 18, she stunned London Olympic gold medallist Li Xuerui to reign supreme in the 2013 World Championships following her resounding successes.

The young Thai star has set herself two new goals - to become the world's No 1 and to win an historic gold medal in the Rio Olympic Games.

Her first goal has already become reality after she took the Singapore Open title yesterday, her fourth major title of the year to claim the unofficial Badminton World Federation (BWF)'s world No 1 ranking. With Ratchanok's first goal accomplished, all eyes will now be on the Thai sensation to see if she can make another statement - by winning Thailand's first Olympic badminton gold medal in Rio de Janeiro.

"I think I played up to my standard. After I went down in the first game, my coach Phattapol [Ngernsrisuk] suggested that I focus on long rallies so that Sun Yu would become exhausted and more prone to unforced mistakes," she said yesterday.

"Winning the second game drastically boosted my morale. I played with more confidence in the decider. Although the Chinese stayed hot on my heels at the near end of the game, I was quite certain that I could make it. I felt no pressure at all and I played my game. That's what counts for the win.

"I would like to thank all the Thai fans who supported me," the confident young star said. She is the first singles badminton player to win three Superseries titles in three consecutive weeks.

In February, Ratchanok delighted home fans by winning the Princess Sirivannavari Thailand Masters at the Nimibutr Gymnasium, while last month her remarkable run continued as she reigned supreme in the India Open World Superseries, the Malaysia Open World Superseries Premier and the Singapore World Superseries.

"Today, I just wanted to play a relaxed match. My ultimate target of being the world No 1 has already been accomplished. Now, I'm looking forward to my Olympic dreams. I want to win a gold medal for Thailand. With the full support of Thai people, I will never give up. I will try to keep myself fit physically and mentally, and now I have only three tournaments to compete in ahead of the Olympics. I hope to do my best in every tournament I take part in, particularly the Asian Championships, at which I will be back to defend my crown. Despite the win in Singapore, I think I still have many things to learn and to improve my form ahead of the Rio Games.

"It's not the main reason that I won today but I badly needed my father to give me the green light to associate with my boyfriend Tawan [Pannawit Thongn-uam]. I just tried to do my best for the country. However, I'm happy that from now on, we have the green light to associate and can learn about each other," Ratchanok said.

"After this, I would like to take a long rest. I feel exhausted after contesting continuous competitions. The first meal I want to have upon my return to Thailand is somtam [papaya salad] and I have to make it myself," the joyful player said.

Shortly after Ratchanok's exceptional win yesterday, Government Spokesman Maj-General Sansern Kaewkam-nerd said in an interview that Prime Minister General Prayut Chan-o-cha had praised Ratchanok's determined efforts to move to the top of the world rankings.

"The prime minister has expressed great praise and sincere appreciation for Ratchanok's dazzling performances. He has asked Thai people from all walks of life to throw their full support behind the Thai shuttlers to fulfil their Olympic dreams in Rio de Janeiro. More importantly, he asked Thais to support the shuttlers with love and not to put pressure on them," Sansern said. "He also praised all Thai shuttlers who have to work hard in an attempt to qualify for the Rio Games," he added.

Achievements

- World Junior Championships - gold medal in 2009, 2010 and 2011

- 2013 World Championships - gold medal (as youngest player)

- 2013 India Open World Superseries - gold medal (as youngest player)

- 2015 Asian Championships - gold medal

- 2015 Indonesia Open - gold medal

- 2016 Thailand Masters - gold medal

- 2016 India Open World Superseries - gold medal

- 2016 Malaysia Open World Superseries - gold medal

- 2016 Singapore Open World Superseries - gold medal