World number ones Lin Dan and Zhang Ning spearheaded China's quarter-final victories at the Thomas and Uber Cup badminton championships on Wednesday.
TOKYO: World number ones Lin Dan and Zhang Ning spearheaded China's quarter-final victories at the Thomas and Uber Cup badminton championships here on Wednesday.
Lin needed some time before getting used to the lights and the draught caused by the air conditioner but went on to beat Andrew Smith 18-21, 21-12, 21-12 in the opening match of China's 3-0 win over England in the men's event.
Cai Yun and Fu Haifeng put China two up by beating Kristian Roebuck and Ian Palethorpe 21-14, 21-12. Bao Chunlai's 21-12, 21-15 win over Nicholas Kidd secured the best-of-five Thomas Cup quarter-final tie.
Athens Olympic gold medallist Zhang beat Li Li 21-18, 21-18 before Jiang Yanjiao and the pairing of Gao Ling and Huang Sui secured China's 3-0 victory over Singapore in their women's Uber Cup quarter-final clash.
"In the 21-point system, there are some unexpected points you lose. I made some errors when I was leading in the first game, and it was my first match at this gymnasium," said Lin.
"But I was able to play in my own rhythm in the second and third games after I got used to the lights and wind."
In the semi-finals on Friday, the Chinese men will take on 13-time champions Indonesia, the winners over hosts Japan 3-1.
Japan's three-time national champion Shoji Sato caused the biggest upset by downing world and Athens Olympics champion Taufik Hidayat 20-22, 21-16, 24-23 in the opener, thrilling a sellout partisan crowd of 10,000.
But Luluk Hadiyanto and Yulianto Alven, Soni Dwi Kuncoro, and Markis Kidho and Hendra Setiawan came to the rescue of their side.
Seven-time silver medallists Denmark reached the semi-finals with Peter Gade, Kenneth Jonassen and world number one duo of Jens Eriksen and Martin Lundgaard Hansen scoring a 3-0 win over India.
Malaysia faced quite a scare before beating South Korea 3-2 to earn a place against Denmark. The 1998 Commonwealth champion Wong Choong Hann injured his right achilles tendon and abandoned the third match to go down 1-2.
Lee Wan Wah and Choong Tan Fook tied the contest at 2-all, and 2003 All England champion Muhammad Hafiz Hashim completed their victory beating Jang Young-Soo 21-17, 21-10.
The Chinese women, looking forward to their fifth straight and 10th overall Uber Cup, will play Germany, the winners over Hong Kong 3-2.
Asian champion Wang Chen shocked European champion Xu Huaiwen 7-21, 21-15, 21-12 and added a doubles win for Hong Kong.
But Nicole Grether and Juliane Schenk clinched the decider 21-10, 21-9 against Chau Hoi-wah and Wong Man-ching.
The Netherlands dashed the last local hope beating Japan 3-2 to book the last semi-final spot against Taiwan, winners over South Korea 3-2.
Atlanta Olympic silver medallist Mia Audina Tjiptawan bowed to Asian silver medallist Kaori Mori 21-15, 29-22, 21-17, while Karina de Wit lost to 1998 Asian Games champion Kanako Yonekura 23-21, 13-21, 21-14. But Audina came back strongly to win her doubles with Judith Meulendijks 21-11, 21-16.
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