China’s Lin Dan works hard to oust Japan’s Sho Sasaki in the Sudirman Cup 2011 – Badminton News
China’s ace shuttler, Lin Dan, worked really hard to get rid of Japan’s Sho Sasaki, in the group match of the
Sudirman Cup 2011, at Qingdao, China, on Tuesday, May 24.
The Chinese, who is currently ranked at the second spot in the Men’s Singles world rankings, faced a very strong
resistance from Sasaki, who maintained superb pressure on the local hero throughout the match.
However, it was Lin, who managed to win both sets against the determined Japanese and helped China beat Japan
with a 5-0 margin.
After winning the match, head coach of China, Li Yongbo said, “Today, Japan did quite well and we also did well.
My team paid a lot of attention to this match and they were in good shape. Of course, Japan are better than Germany and Japan have several new faces.”
While talking about the performance against the Japanese, Lin said that his game was not good in the start but
he was happy with the result at the end.
Lin started the game in a shaky fashion as he remained behind the opponent in the opening set until 11-15, where
he geared up his speed and levelled the match at 15-15. He continued his performance and clinched the set by a tight margin of 22-20.
The second set was also interesting where the Japanese was again the leader of the game. Sasaki was ahead at 14-13,
when Lin took control of the things and finished up the second set by a close margin of 21-19.
Yongbo appreciated the performance of the Japanese and said, “Sasaki put a lot of pressure on Lin Dan.”
The head coach also added, “But today my players were more serious and cautious than before (against Germany.).
It is normal to have ups and downs -- whether it is Lin Dan or someone else.”
China and Japan have qualified for the top eight spots, as both countries have defeated Germany in their group
matches. China leads the group, while Japan is at the second spot.
Tags: