Badminton-Hidayat to meet Lin in dream final
(Reuters)Updated: 2006-12-09 16:50
China's world champion Xie Xingfang was knocked out of the 15th Asian Games badminton singles on Friday, but her boyfriend Lin Dan set up a mouthwatering final with arch-rival Taufik Hidayat.
 China's Lin Dan reacts after losing a point to Indonesia's Taufik Hidayat during their men's badminton team league stage semi-finals at the Asian Games in Doha December 4, 2006. [Reuters]  |
He will face world number one and arch-rival Lin on Saturday in the gold medal grudge match after Lin beat South Korean Lee Hyun-il 21-3 21-10.
Badminton 'bad boy' Hidayat had Lee on the back foot throughout the 43-minute match, forcing mistakes and returning everything the Malaysian threw at him.
Buoyed by an arena packed with frenzied Indonesian supporters clutching startled babies and waving national flags, Hidayat broke clear towards the end of a tight second game to leave Lee with the bronze medal.
Hidayat's meeting with China's Lin will be their third of this Games. Lin has won the previous two.
Hidayat fanned the flames of the pair's fierce rivalry before the Games when he described Lin as "arrogant".
The Indonesian had previously been docked ranking points and prize money after storming out mid-match against Lin in August.
The defending champion said he was determined to win after losing twice against Lin, and would not be settling for the silver medal.
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"I'm aiming to win and I'm confident I can do it," he told reporters.
"It was a hard game today. All I could think was 'win, win, win'. There were so many people cheering for me it was amazing. It was like playing at home."
 Indonesia's Taufik Hidayat returns a shot against China's Lin Dan in the men's badminton team league stage semi-finals at the 15th Asian Games in Doha December 4, 2006.[Reuters] |
He said his opponent gave up after his trouncing in the first game but predicted that the match with Hidayat would be a different story.
"I didn't think it would be so easy -- he was very agitated," Lin told reporters.
"He (Hidiyat) is in very good shape here. I have to prepare myself for a tough match on Saturday."
In the women's semi-finals, Hong Kong's Wang Chen upset Xie 21-17 17-21 21-16 to set up an all-Hong Kong women's singles final with Yip Pui Yin.
Xie put up a good fight throughout, using her long reach and alternating between powerful back court returns and light flicks at the net.
But a determined Wang forced Xie into a series of errors at the net to reach her first final at a major championship.
"I've beaten her before but this match gave me a lot of confidence," Wang told reporters.
"I just gave it a shot. This is great for Hong Kong, and I'll be happy whatever the result."
Yip, the bronze medallist in Pusan four years ago, went through after beating South Korean newcomer Hwang Hye-yeon 21-14 21-19.
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