Lin through to All-England last 8 after early scare
Print Edition
CHINA’S Lin Dan staved off any threat of a second shock upset at the All-England Championships yesterday as the five-time champion advanced to the men’s quarterfinals with a defeat of Japan’s Sho Sasaki.
Hours after Lee Chong Wei of Malaysia had been sent packing late on Wednesday, the fifth-seeded Lin suffered a wobble before finding his rhythm to beat Sasaki 20-22, 21-6, 21-8 in the last 16 in Birmingham.
“It took me time to get into the match but I changed my tactics, stayed calm and I’m really happy to get through,” Lin said after his 64-minute win.
Lin had looked comfortable in the opening exchanges but he suffered a mid-game crisis from 13-9 up as Sasaki found himself with three game points.
Lin got himself out of trouble thanks to a superb low retrieval at the net and a smash winner before the world No. 20 Sasaki sneaked the opener.
However, it was the last meaningful contribution by the Japanese, with Lin, 33, shifting through the gears to set up a quarterfinal meeting with Denmark’s Jan O Jorgensen, the 2015 finalist, who ousted Hong Kong China’s Angus Ng Ka Long.
“He is one of the best in the world and I will have to play my toughest match yet to beat him,” Lin said of Jorgensen.
Lin will head into that encounter unbeaten in 14 matches since November and showing ever-improving form with the Rio Olympics looming in August.
Lin and Jorgensen were the first big names through to the quarterfinals, with defending champion Chen Long of China and Dane Viktor Axelsen also in the top half of the draw.
With Lee’s exit, attention has shifted towards Kento Momota, the Superseries Finals champion, the highest seed left in the lower half.
The other threat lies with eighth-seeded Tian Houwei. The Chinese prevailed 10-21, 21-12, 21-19 against Sameer Verma of India in a 67-minute tussle.
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