Incheon: China defeated Malaysia 3-0 in the men’s team semi-final on Monday. It will take on South Korea in the men’s team final, after the hosts easily crushed Taiwan 3-0 in another semi-final.
In the first match between first singles of both countries, China’s Chen Long was pushed all the way by world number one, Lee Chong Wei before closing out the hard-fought victory with 21-17, 19-21, 21-11 in 80 minutes.
It was quite a surprise to see China fielded mixed doubles specialist Xu Chen with Zhang Nan to face Tan Boon Heong-Hoon Thien How in the first doubles match. Tan-Hoon raced to take the first set 21-14 in 18 minutes, unfortunately they failed to maintain their momentum by dropping the next two sets 21-15, 21-10.
Lin Dan then finished off Chong Wei Feng 21-11, 21-12 in 41 minutes as China prevailed with a 3-0 overall win.
“I consulted the coaches and Lin Dan before the match, I kept my rhythm and didn’t think too much whether I was winning or losing,” said Chen.
World number one Lee Chong Wei stayed bullish despite the loss.
“I played my best, and I really enjoyed the game,” said Chong Wei.
“I was not aggressive enough, Chen was so calm during the whole match, I must give him credit for playing really well,” added Chong Wei.
In the men’s singles event that starts on Wednesday, Chong Wei will most likely to clash with Lin Dan in the semi-final. If he could cruise past Lin Dan, barring any major upset, he may face Chen Long again in the men’s singles final.
