China and South Korea to clash in the semi-final of the Sudirman Cup 2011 – Badminton News
The defending champion, China, will meet South Korea in the semi-final showdown, after both countries defeated their opponents in the quarter-finals of the Sudirman Cup 2011, at Qingdao, China, on Thursday, May 26.
China defeated India with a 3-1 margin, whereas, Korea emerged as the winner against Malaysia after a good fight with a difference of 3-2.
In the match against India, Fu Haifeng and Cai Yun of China delivered a superb performance against India’s Rupesh Kumar and Sanave Thomas, to grab one point for their team by winning in straight-sets with a 21-15 and 21-14 score on the board.
In the Women’s Singles fight, India’s Saina Nehwal, who is currently World Number Four, stunned the local hero, Wang Xin, in straight sets by a 21-15 and 21-11 margin.
China managed to win the Men’s Singles and Women’s Doubles fights and emerged as the winner of the match.
After the match, Li Yongbo, head coach of China said, “Nehwal posed a challenge to Wang Xin but Wang also made a lot of mistakes. Maybe we were not well prepared for this. But Nehwal is also a strong player.”
He further added, “Lin Dan and the women's doubles did very well, and much better than the last two matches, but we didn't expect to lose in the women's singles. We hope to win all the matches, but we are ready for the losses, too.”
While talking about her performance in the match, Saina said, “China was a very tough tie for us and Wang Xin is obviously a very good player so I was expecting a tough fight. But I think the home pressure was too much, and I played pretty well today.”
In another quarter-final battle, South Korea managed to win against Malaysia after a tough fight. Korea’s Mixed Doubles couple of Ha Jung Eun and Ko Sung Hyun defeated Chin Eei h*i and Koo Kien Keat of Malaysia in the opening fight.
Malaysia levelled the match when Lee Chong Wei thrashed Park Sung Hwan in straight-sets.
The match was levelled at 2-2, where the Korean shuttlers managed to win the final point in the Women’s Doubles category where Jung Eun Ha and Min Jung Kim of Korea defeated Chin Eei h*i and Wong Pei Tty of Malaysia, in a three-set thrilling fight.
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