|
Badminton-Holder Lin slumps to All England defeat
2005-03-13
BIRMINGHAM, England - Holder Lin Dan of China slumped to defeat in the final of the All England championships on Sunday, beaten by compatriot and 2002 winner Chen Hong.Chen rallied from a game down to sweep past a dispirited Lin 8-15 15-5 15-2 in 70 minutes. Lin, 21, had been bidding to become the first player to retain the men's singles crown since Denmark's Poul-Erik Hoyer-Larsen, winner in 1995 and 1996. The defeat was another blow for Lin, who was a leading contender for the Olympic gold medal in Athens last year but lost in the first round. Sunday's final was a lacklustre affair between two friends and team mates and it failed to thrill the capacity 4,500 crowd. Lin, who had been involved in some tough matches on his way to the final, said: "He played very well in the last two games and I felt very tired. I have been playing too many matches." Chen, 25, who has been in four All England finals in the last five years, said: "This was even more exciting than 2002. I feel I am entering a new era." He added: "We are all good friends and I am happy whoever wins but we are all sportsmen so deep down you always want to win yourself." There was some consolation for Lin when his girlfriend Xie Xingfang, seeded three, beat the top seed and Olympic gold medallist Zhang Ning 11-3 11-9. Xie, 24, had beaten Zhang, 29, four times in their last five meetings and although Zhang saved three match points the end was not long delayed. Xie was ranked only four in China at the time of the Olympics and failed to make the Athens squad. She said: "I was sorry not to be in the squad but I've worked hard since then and I am pleased to win here and prove myself." Home fans got what they came for when Olympic silver medallists Nathan Robertson and Gail Emms won the mixed doubles, beating unseeded Danish pair Thomas Laybourn and Kamilla Rytter Juhl 15-10 15-12. It was a first title at the All Englands for a home pair since Simon Archer and Jo Goode won the mixed in 1999. Chinese pairs won the men's and women's doubles to complete Sunday's programme and take the tournament haul to four out of five, equalling China's previous best achieved in 1997. Reuters
Badminton: China flexes muscle at world badminton championships (2006-09-23)China beat Germany 5-0 to reach Thomas Cup quarter-finals (2006-04-30)Badminton-Holder Lin slumps to All England defeat (2005-03-13)Badminton-Super Dan easing Olympic heartache (2005-03-12)China to dominate badminton finals day (2005-03-12)
| 
