Women shuttlers progress into semifinal
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E-mail Xinhua, August 3, 2012
Three Chinese shuttlers, Wang Yihan, Wang Xin and Li Xuerui, defeated their rivals to advance into the semifinals of women's singles at the Wembley Arena Thursday.
Wang Yihan, China's No. 1 seed, beat Cheng Shao Chieh from Chinese Taipei 21-14 and 21-11. She appeared sluggish and stumbled at the beginning of the first game, with the following three services missed. After the interval, Yihan seemed to regain her dominance on the court. The second game seemed easier, when the 24-year-old Chinese overpowered Cheng.
"I played against her last year in the final of the world championships. It's been a year so I thought it would be very tough," Wang said.
"I'm getting much closer to the medal but I never think about the future. I'm just thinking about tomorrow's match because the competition is strong."
On the next court her teammate Wang Xin was having a difficult time facing Ratchanok Intanon from Thailand, before winning in three games, 17-21, 21-18 and 21-14.
The world's No. 2 seed breezed past Intanon in the first game, while the second one was like a reply of Yihan's first game at the beginning, but ended with different result.
When the second game started, Xin appeared fretful. Spectators from the Thailand sang to cheer up their player, while Chinese shouted "Wang Xin, be patient", and Li Yongbo, China's badminton head coach, told her from outside the arena to serve short.
In the decider, she was once so tired after winning a score, that she lay down on the court. Intanon was making more mistakes, hitting the shuttlecock outside the court or touching net.
Talking about the competition, she said she was nervous in the first game. "In the second I was still a bit immersed in the previous game and I had to adjust my mindset to ensure I didn't make mistakes," she said. "We were both using similar strategies and a lot of energy in the second game. I had to work very hard to pull away from her."
Fledgling player Li Xuerui outplayed Yip Pui Yin from Hong Kong easily in the first game at 21-12. She was once 16-20 behind in the second, where the 21-year-old Olympic debutant managed to save four match points with stunning performance, enjoying her victory amid applause 22-20.
"I just focused on just the things I did well in beginning," she said.
The fact that three Chinese players in the semifinal means that China could at least pocket two medals. Wang Yihan will be playing Indian shuttler Saina Nehwal, world's No. 4 seed and quarterfinalist at the Beijing Olympics. Yihan has beaten her five times in the past.
Another match will be between Wang Xin and Li Xuerui. Li has never won over Xin in previous five encounters. They were too familiar with each other, which is both her advantage and disadvantage.
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