Lin and Zhang ease through to third round
(China Daily)
Updated: 2005-08-19 06:05

ANAHEIM, California: World Nos 1 Lin Dan and Zhang Ning both maintained their blistering form by opening with dominating second-round victories at the 2005 badminton world championships on Wednesday.

Top seed Lin, who is bidding for his first world championship title, overpowered Kennevic Asuncion 15-1, 15-3 to reach the third round of the 2005 Anaheim worlds on Wednesday.

The 21-year-old Lin put on a punishing display, needing just 20 minutes to win his men's singles match at the Arrowhead Pond arena.

"He's a proven player and number one in the world," Asuncion, of the Philippines, said. "What makes him so great is his speed and the way he disguises his strokes."

Reigning world and Olympic champ Zhang looked equally impressive in her first women's singles match as she crushed Chinese Taipei's Huang Chia-Hsin 11-6, 11-2. Both top seeds received byes through the first round.

This year's men's worlds field is wide open with top seeds Lin, Kenneth Jonassen, Peter Gade, Lee Chong Wei and Olympic champ Taufik Hidayat all threatening for the title.

The 2003 world champion Xia Xuanze, of China, is not in Anaheim to defend his title.

Lin is in the top half of the draw and could face Denmark's Gade in the semi-finals if there are no big upsets in the next two rounds.

After Wednesday's match Lin declined to talk to reporters, heading straight for the locker room to get ready for his next match against Shoji Sato of Japan.

Sato won his second-round match, rallying to beat Sweden's Rasmus Wengberg 15-17, 15-7, 15-3.

Sato said he would prepare for the third-round match by watching film of Lin's win over Asuncion.

"I have not beaten Lin Dan but I will try my best," Sato said.

Lin has a flawless record against Sato. In their three career meetings, Lin has yet to lose a game.

Lin suffered a shock first round exit in the Athens Olympics but helped make up for it by maintaining his world No 1 one status and winning five tournaments in the past year, including the German Open and the Denmark Open.

On a day when almost all the men's top seeds were in action, No 2 two seed Jonassen, of Denmark, also advanced by crushing Singapore's Kendrick Lee Yen Hui 15-2, 15-2.

Other seeds to reach the third round on Wednesday included No 7 Chen Hong of China, ninth seeded Ng Wei of Hong Kong, Gade and fifth seed Lee of Malaysia.

The reigning Olympic and world champion Zhang was never in trouble against Huang in their 20-minute match.

"The venue is windier than I expected so I just tried to have better control of the birdie for the match," said Zhang, who received a bye through the first round.

"I tried to get my games over as fast as I could. When you are in a match like this you have to adapt to the environment."

The 30-year-old Zhang advances to the next round where she will face Hong Kong's Yip Pui-yin who battled back to upset 11th seeded Kanako Yonekura, of Japan, 8-11, 13-12, 11-9. Zhang and Yip will be meeting for the first time.

Zhang is seeking to become the fifth world champion from China in the past 10 years.

Zhang sees her main rival in Anaheim as teammate and Chinese rising star Xie Xingfang, who also advanced on Wednesday by dominating Larisa Griga 13-12, 11-2.

Their main competitors are a gang of four ex-Chinese who all compete for other nations and regions.

Fourth seeded Wang Chen was the first to leave China, moving to Hong Kong.

Sixth seed Xu Huaiwen competes for Germany, fifth seed Yao Jie for Netherlands and third seed Pi Hongyan for France. Pi moved to France after she was kept off the national team because of her size.

Pi, Yao and Xu all cruised through their matches. Pi hammered Elena Nozdran 11-6, 11-0, Yao blasted Charmaine Reid 11-1, 11-6 and Xu routed Nathalie Descamps 11-2, 11-4.

Indonesian-born Dutch Mia Audina Tjiptawan dispatched Maja Kersnik 11-0, 11-2 to reach the third round.

It was the second straight overpowering performance by the Athens silver medallist Audina Tjiptawan as she has been on the court for just 27 minutes in her first two victories.

In women's doubles, Olympic gold medallists Yang Wei and Zhang Jiewen of China advanced to the quarter-finals with a 15-6, 15-13 win over Taiwan's Chien Yu-Chin and Cheng Wen-Hsing.

(China Daily 08/19/2005 page16)