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Lee books finals rematch against Chen in Jakarta

Source: AFP | August 16, 2015, Sunday | Online Edition

LEE Chong Wei of Malaysia cruised into his fourth straight men's singles final at the world championships on Saturday, but must overcome Chinese top seed Chen Long to win his elusive gold.

Lee, a three-time runner up at badminton's most prestigious event, advanced to yet another title match after swatting aside second seed Jan O. Jorgensen of Denmark 21-7, 21-19.

The former world number one is unseeded for the first time in years at this world championships, having just returned from an eight-month ban for doping.

But he has staged a ferocious comeback and looked dangerous as ever in Jakarta, dismissing four seeded opponents in his relentless march towards a maiden world crown.

But to end his gold medal drought the Malaysian superstar must beat world number one Chen, who defeated him in last year's world championship final and has already won four titles this season.

"Last year and this year are very different," said 32-year-old Lee.

"This is my chance, and maybe my last opportunity."

Jorgensen, who will take home bronze after his impressive win over Chinese legend Lin Dan in the quarter finals, was caught completely off guard as Lee unleashed his full potential.

"You could say that I forgot how it is to play Lee Chong Wei," the Dane said.

"Nobody else in the world has that speed. I think he will win."

Chen smashed Kento Momota of Japan 21-9, 21-15 to advance to his second straight final, but acknowledged defending his world title this year would be no easy task.

 

- Indonesians stage upset -

 

Meanwhile world number one Carolina Marin, who almost didn't make the world championships due to injury, staged a gripping comeback against South Korea's Sung Ji-Hyun to book a second-straight finals appearance.

The Spanish top seed and defending champion screamed in triumph as she emerged victorious after a 90-minute battle over Sung 21-17, 15-21, 21-16.

Marin will face second seed Saina Nehwal after she brushed off local favourite Lindaweni Fanetri 21-17, 21-17.

Marin claimed the first game against Sung comfortably but lost her composure in the second, becoming increasingly frustrated as her unforced errors mounted and her lead slipped away.

She trailed Sung in the third game 13-8 before rallying, taking 10 unanswered points in a fiery comeback that left her Korean opponent spinning.

"Today I was nervous and sometimes I was angry with myself because I wasn't thinking about what I had to do, I was thinking about the score," the 22-year-old European champion told reporters.

Sung said she was struggling with stamina and cramps after enduring an 82-minute quarter-final marathon against Indian shuttler P.V. Sindhu.

There was a major upset in the men's doubles as Indonesia's Mohammad Ahsan and Hendra Setiawan upstaged the top-ranked South Korean pair Lee Yong Dae and Yoo Yeon Seong 21-17, 21-19.

The third-seeded local pair were roared into the finals by a thundering home crowd, and are tipped to win Indonesia's only gold medal of the tournament when they meet China's ninth-seeded duo Liu Xiaolong and Qiu Zihan on Sunday.

Danish pair Christinna Pedersen and Kamilla Rytter Juhl have a chance to make history when they face China's Tian Qing and Zhao Yunlei in the women's doubles finals.

If the fourth-seeded Danes prevail over their fifth-seeded counterparts it will be the first time in 12 years a non-Chinese pair have won the event.

For a second year in a row it will be an all-Chinese affair in the finals of the mixed doubles.

Top-ranked pair Zhang Nan and Zhao Yunlei defeated resilient Indonesian duo Tontowi Ahmad and Liliyana Natsir, while fourth seeded Chinese pair Liu Cheng and Bao Yixin beat their second seeded compatriots Xu Chen and Ma Jin.

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