Lin Dan celebrates after beating Vietnam's Nguyen Tien Minh in the semi-finals of the World Championships. - IZZRAFIQ ALIAS / The Star
LIN Dan remained well on course for a final showdown with world No.1 Lee Chong Wei after beating Vietnam’s Nguyen Tien Minh in the semi-finals at the Tianhe Gymnasium, Guangzhou today.
The four-time world champion was just too strong for the Tien Minh, the first Vietnamese in the world meet semi-finals, winning 21-17, 21-15.
Chong Wei, who is still only seeking his first world title, will face third seed Du Pengyu in the other semi-final later in the evening.
In women’s singles, reigning Olympic champion Li Xuerui powered into the final by thrashing South Korea’s Bae Yeon-ju 21-5, 21-11.
She will face Thai younster Ratchanok Intanon, who defeated India’s giant-killer P.V. Sindhu 21-10, 21-13, in the final.
In men’s doubles, the in-form pair of Mohammad Ahsan-Hendra Setiawan stunned the home crowd by beating four-time world champions Cai Yun-Fu Haifeng 21-19, 21-17.
The sixth seeded Indonesians will face either third seeds Mathias Boe-Carsten Morgensen of Denmark or fifth seeds Kim Ki-jung-Kim Sa-rang of South Korea in the final.
There was yet another home crowd dampener as South Korea’s Eom Hye-won-Jang Ye-na overcame fifth seeds Tian Qing-Zhao Yunlei 21-16, 21-19 in women’s doubles.
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