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China sets up semifinal thriller against Japan in Sudirman Cup
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Chen Long of China hits a return against India's Srikanth Kidambi during their men's singles Sudirman Cup badminton match at the Gold Coast Sports Center on May 26. (AFP/Patrick Hamilton)
T
he one-sided victory of China at the Sudirman Cup quarterfinals on Friday sets the defending champion up for a thrilling semifinal bout against Japan.
In Friday’s quarters, China romped India and Japan outclassed Malaysia, following South Korea and Thailand to Saturday’s semifinals. In the previous day, South Korea defeated Taiwan 3-1, while Thailand stunned Denmark 3-2.
There were no surprises in either of Friday’s battles, although India’s mixed doubles combination Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Ashwini Ponnappa did create some flutters against world number two duo Lu Kai and Huang Yaqiong in the opening match before China took the tie 3-0.
A short while later, Japan wrapped up its quarters against Malaysia 3-1.
World champion Chen Long had a 4-0 career record going into his men’s singles match-up with Kidambi Srikanth and nothing suggested that the Indian would get his first win, for the Chinese was at his fluid, powerful best.
“My opponent was very good, and he strongly challenged me in the second game,” said Chen, as quoted by Badminton World Federation website, bwfbadminton.com.
“We have to be our best tomorrow. The Japanese men’s singles players are quite young and have already got the opportunity to play at this level, so we have to be cautious. More than the pressure from outside, I will be putting pressure on myself to perform well,” he added.
