Sport

Lin Dan takes on Kuncoro

— Photo: AP

CAPPING A FINE RUN: Playing her last World championship, Hong Kong’s Wang Chen stopped Chinese Olympic champion Zhang Ning to reach her maiden final.

KUALA LUMPUR: Chinese star Lin Dan marched into the final of the world badminton championships here on Saturday as fellow World No.1 and teammate Zhang Ning suffered a shock defeat.

Defending champion Lin, known as ‘Super Dan’ to his legion of fans, downed teammate Bao Chunlai 21-12, 22-20 and looked in formidable form heading into Sunday’s final.

Lin takes on Indonesia’s Sony Dwi Kuncoro, who won a gruelling three-game encounter against China’s sixth seed Chen Yu 18-21, 21-13, 21-15.

With the crowd cheering him, the Indonesian ninth seed went all out, often diving to the floor in desperate attempts to reach shots.

“It’s going to be another very difficult and tiring match against Lin Dan but this is my chance to win the title,” said Kuncoro, who stopped Malaysian giant Lee Chong Wei on his road to the final.

China’s great hope in the women’s singles Zhang Ning was stunned by Hong Kong’s Wang Chen, who used contrasting pace to down the Olympic champion 21-11, 21-15 and reach her maiden world final.

“This is my last world championships, so I came here hoping to get a medal and now I’m trying to go for gold,” a delighted Wang, 31, said of her win. Wang said her strategy was to play fast in the first game, but slow down the pace in the second, when she knew Zhang would come out firing.

Wang, the Asian Games champion, faces a showdown on Sunday with China’s fifth seed Zhu Lin who easily beat teammate Lu Lan 21-10, 21-13.

Zhang, the Olympic champion and a veteran of the Chinese team, joins a string of stars who have fallen in this tournament.

Malaysia’s chances of winning their first-ever title were snuffed out on Saturday when doubles duo Choong Tan Fook and Lee Wan Wah went down fighting to Indonesia’s Markis Kido and Hendra Setiawan.

The Malaysians, who have watched their more high-profile teammates exit Putra Stadium this week, produced some spectacular badminton but were eventually edged out 22-20, 28-26.

The Indonesian fifth seeds take on South Korea’s Jung Jae-Sung and Lee Yong-Dae, who took out Japan’s Shuichi Sakamoto and Shintaro Ikeda 21-16, 21-12.

In mixed doubles, Indonesia’s Nova Widianto and Lilyana Natsir held off a ferocious challenge from China’s third seeds Xie Zhongbo and Zhang Yamen to book a place in the final.

The Indonesian second seeds won the first game, only for China to charge back in the second. Neither side would break away in the third, and China, at 17-20 down, saved three match points only for Indonesia to hang on for a 22-20 nail-biting win.

They play China’s No.1 pair Zheng Bo and Gao Ling, who had an equally tough battle against Indonesia’s sixth seeds Flandy Limpele and Vita Marissa.

The Chinese, who have won six titles since coming together since this year, fought back from one game down to romp home 17-21, 21-19, 21-19.

The results: Semifinals: Singles: Men: Sony Dwi Kuncoro (Ina) bt Chen Yu (Chn) 18-21, 21-13, 21-15; Lin Dan (Chn) bt Bao Chunlai (Chn) 21-12, 22-20.