By Dev S. Sukumar, IANS
Kuala Lumpur : China assured themselves of at least one gold in the World Badminton Championships after legendary women’s doubles pair Gao Ling and Huang Sui Saturday joined compatriots Yang Wei and Zhang Jiewen in the finals.
The badminton powerhouse has a shot at three more gold medals – the two singles and mixed doubles events. Only the men’s doubles will feature non-Chinese teams.
If Gao-Huang win Sunday, they will be the first team ever to win four gold medals at the World Championships.
Gao also reached the final of the mixed doubles. In a sport that demands maximum physical ability, the lady with the bright smile has managed to remain at the highest level for seven years now. With five consecutive All England titles and four World Championships golds, she is as great as any who has played the game.
On Saturday, attention was on China’s Lin Dan, the world champion who survived a close first game against Indian Anup Sridhar Friday before motoring comfortably in the second.
He was to play compatriot Bao Chunlai in the semi-final, and the tie had all the makings of a match between two chess players who knew exactly what each other’s next move would be. As it turned out, Lin had almost as tough a match on Saturday as he had on Friday.
Although both Lin and Bao are left-handed, their styles are different. Bao is one of the tallest on the circuit, an ambling, long-limbed 6-foot-plus, while Lin is shorter and quicker. Bao tried to pin Lin with his tosses but the champion wasn’t going to be deterred and won the first game in quick time, 21-12.
Bao might be the taller of the two, but Lin derives the same sort of advantage that a good in-fighter has in boxing – he doesn’t allow his taller opponent a free swing of the arms.
Lin hardly ever allowed Bao the depth to get a good smash, but the underdog kept apace and soon he had game point. It was here that the champion showed his class with a smash that found the line. He then surprised Bao with a flicked high serve that gave him match point.
Joining Lin in the final will be Indonesian Sony Dwi Kuncoro, earlier hailed as a successor to the more illustrious Taufik Hidayat, but who in recent times has done little of note.
Kuncoro has been in superb form in this tournament though, barring the first round where he was taken to the limit by India’s Chetan Anand. The Indonesian’s best match was in the quarterfinals, where he repelled the attacking Dane, Peter Gade Christensen.
Kuncoro has been playing with great pace and power, his jump smashes have been almost un-returnable, and the final against Lin should showcase some fine attacking badminton from either end.
The women’s singles final will be between Wang Chen of Hong Kong and Zhu Lin of China. Wang knocked out top seed and 2003 World Champion Zhang Ning of China in straight games, while Zhu beat compatriot Lu Lan.
Meanwhile, Malaysia suffered its final blow when its men’s doubles team failed in the semi-finals, preventing a Malaysian presence in any of the final events.
Lee Wan Wah and Choong Tan Fook, despite being egged on by a roaring crowd, fell in a three-game thriller to Indonesian pair Markis Kido and Hendra Setiawan. The Malaysian pair had earlier upset the world champions, but as with the case of their teammates, they failed to earn a shot at the gold.
That will mean a further roasting on the morrow in the press for their beleaguered coaching staff, who have had to endure comments by their own players.
World No.2 Lee Chong Wei, after his loss in the quarterfinals, accused his chief coach Yap Kim Hock of trying to scuttle his career by putting undue pressure on him.
The men’s doubles will have Indonesia against Korea. Kido and Setiawan will play Jung Jae Sung and Lee Yong Dae, while the mixed doubles will have the redoubtable Gao Ling and Zheng Bo against Indonesians Nova Widianto and Lilyana Natsir.
Results (all semi-finals):
Men’s singles: Lin Dan (Chn) beat Bao Chunlai (Chn) 21-12 22-20; Sony Dwi Kuncoro (Ina) bt Chen Yu (Chn) 18-21 21-13 21-15
Women’s singles: Wang Chen (HK) bt Zhang Ning (Chn) 21-11 21-15; Zhu Lin (Chn) bt Lu Lan (Chn) 21-10 21-13
Men’s Doubles: Markis Kido/ Hendra Setiawan (Ina) bt Lee Wan Wah/ Choong Tan Fook 22-20 28-26; Jung Jae Sung/ Lee Yong Dae bt Shuichi Sakamoto/ Shintaro Ikeda 21-16 21-12
Women’s Doubles: Gao Ling/ Huang Sui (Chn) bt Kumiko Ogura/ Reiko Shiota (Jpn) 21-16 23-25 21-6; Yang Wei/ Zhang Jiewen bt Zhang Yawen/ Wei Yili 19-21 21-18 21-16
Mixed Doubles: Gao Ling/ Zheng Bo (Chn) bt Flandy Limpele/ Vita Marissa 17-21 21-19 21-19; Nova Widianto/ Lilyana Natsir bt Xie Zhongbo/ Zhang Yawen 21-15 15-21 22-20