LIN DAN WINS HIS FIRST ASIAN TITLE
It is ironic that Lin Dan, China’s triple World Champion, gold medalist at the Beijing Olympics, holder of four All England titles, winner of numerous Super Series legs had to wait until last weekend to win his first Asian title!
With his ranking in ‘tatters’ going by his own high standard, Lin Dan was entered for the Asian Championships in Delhi primarily to help him get back to his winning ways. In recent years, the Asian flagship hardly attracted the top-liners.
The Chinese ace had a disastrous start to 2010, failing badly at the third and fourth legs of the Super Series after having skipped the opening two events in Malaysia and Korea.
He was eliminated at the quarter-finals of both the All England and the Swiss Open. As it happened, it was not the world’s top ranked Lee Chong Wei of Malaysia who was responsible for his consecutive defeats. Rather, it was his teammate Bao Chunlai at the All England and the Danish veteran Peter Gade at the Swiss Open. Chong Wei incidentally had won both those earlier legs and went on to capture his first All England title as well.
With the Thomas Cup Finals in Kuala Lumpur next month, China needed its ace-in-the-pack to be mentally strong and an Asian title would have been as good a tonic as any to get started. Aside that, of course Lin Dan had the opportunity to lay his hands on the one important silverware that was still missing in his showcase.
Lin Dan went in ranked second at the Asian Championship behind Taufik Hidayat. But the Indonesian was an early causality, leaving Lin Dan an easy passage to the title, which he gleefully accepted after receiving mere token resistance from teammate Wang Zhengming in the final.
Badminton India Association which was hosting the Asian Championship to double as a test event for the October Commonwealth Games also saw the event as a catalyst to fine-tune its players for the Thomas and Uber Cup Finals. India would be participating in both the team championships for the first time in its history and desired a good outing.
The Indians also received an inspirational boost when Saina Nehwal in Ladies Singles and the pairing of Jwala Dutta & Diju in the Mixed event were respectively top seeded. With an eye on the Commonwealth Games where England would pose the biggest threat to India’s chase for badminton medals, this was an opportune moment to prove their mettle.
But the nation had nothing to celebrate at the close of the championship. Saina and the Jwala-Diju pairing were a disappointment. Both lost to unseeded players. Jwala & Diju left the stage at the quarter-finals, eliminated by a Chinese pair which itself was knocked out at the very next stage while Saina was outplayed by a relatively new and untested Chinese youngster Li Xuerui, who went on to win the title. Except for Saina, India’s interest in the tournament actually fizzled out at the quarter-final stage itself.
After capturing both the Singles, China won a third title in the ladies Doubles through Pan Pan & Tian Qing who literally walked through the Malaysian duo of Vivian Ho & Woon Khe Wei. Vivian and Woon were completely outplayed and could only muster 16 points before succumbing to the Chinese.
But Malaysia picked up an unexpected title in the Mixed Doubles when Chan Peng Soon & Goh Liu Ying outlasted favourites Yoo Yeon Seong & Kim Min Jung in three games, winning the third 21-19 in a nail-biting finish.
Korea however made up in the final match of the evening with a 21-17, 20-22, 21-17 thriller over Chen Hung Ling & Lin Yu Lang of Taipei in the Men Doubles.
RESULTS
MEN SINGLES
Lin Dan (CHN) beat Wang Zhengming (CHN) 21-17, 21-15
LADIES SINGLES
Li Xuerui (CHN) beat Liu Xin (CHN) 21-13, 20-22, 21-19
MEN DOUBLES
Yoo Seong Yeon & Cho Gun Woo (KOR)
Chen Hung Ling & Lin Yu Lang (TPE)
21-19, 12-21, 21-17
LADIES DOUBLES
Pan Pan & Tian Qing (CHN) beat 21-10, 21-6
Vivian Ho & Woon Khe Wei (MAS)
MIXED DOUBLES
Chan Peng Soon & Goh Liu Ying (MAS) beat
Yoo Yeon Seong & Kim Min Jung (KOR)
21-17, 20-22, 21-19