Lin to take on Hidayat in last 16
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E-mail Shanghai Daily, August 1, 2012
The Beatles, Rolling Stones, Spice Girls, Beyonce ... and Lin Dan. They've all rocked Wembley Arena.
Lin, the closest thing badminton has to a rock star, turned the famed arena into his own mosh pit when the Chinese standout won one of the greatest finals in world championships history last year. The thriller ended when he fought off two match points to deny Malaysian archrival Lee Chong Wei.
Lin didn't let the drama end there: He ripped off his shirt with a guttural yell, embraced his coaches, pumped the air with two left hooks and saluted the still-applauding crowd.
Nearly a year later, he's headlining the arena again for the Olympics in hope of becoming the first man to retain the singles title. He moved into the last 16 on Monday, overcoming Scott Evans, the world No. 76 from Ireland, 21-8, 21-14.
Meanwhile, Taufik Hidayat of Indonesia woke up in time to account for Pablo Abian of Spain 22-20, 21-11 and set up a clash with Lin Dan yesterday.
Hidayat didn't enjoy starting the group decider at 9:20am. He blew a 19-17 lead and had to save a game point at 20-19, but controlled the rest of his first matchup with Abian.
Adjusting
"I never play early mornings, I'm not an early morning person," Hidayat said. "My body is still adjusting. Because I play too early, it's like I'm still sleeping."
Hidayat, the gold medalist in Athens eight years ago, last beat Lin at the 2006 Asian Games final in Doha. The Chinese star has won all nine matches since, including in the All England Open quarterfinals in February.
"I'll need to prepare more. It's going to be a good match," Hidayat promised. But when asked if he was still good enough to beat Lin, Hidayat said, "Before, not now ... we'll see."
Also, injury-hit Lee flirted with a shock first-round defeat on Monday before rallying to keep his Olympic dream alive.
Lee has not competed since suffering an ankle injury in May, and seemed to be wandering towards the exit at 11-11 in the final game against Ville Lang, the world No. 45 from Finland.
But then the former world No. 1 from Malaysia, suddenly exploded into his real self, taking 10 points in a row with some high-paced attacks for a 21-8, 14-21, 21-11 win. "I've only just come back from injury," he said. "I just tried my best. I was quite slow. I have not played for two-and-a-half months. It was not the real Lee Chong Wei," the Malaysian said.
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