Ailing Wang fails to reach semis

Local favourite Wang Chen, suffering a leg injury, crashed out in the quarter-finals of the Hong Kong Open last night, to the disappointment of the home crowd.

The Hong Kong number one was quickly defeated by Denmark's Tine Rasmussen 21-18, 22-20. The Dane will meet China's Xie Xingfang in today's semi-final.

In the second game, Wang failed to clinch when leading 20-17.

'The left leg injury affected my running and my speed. I also failed to take the break points and lost a few points in a row,' Wang said, adding that she incurred the injury on Wednesday. 'I'm not in good form and I have to check the problem with my leg.'

Wang, who came third in last year's Hong Kong Open, believes she will be fit for the world championships in Madrid this month.

China took the other two places in the women's singles semi-finals. Defending and Olympic champion Zhang Ning trounced fifth-seeded Yao Jie of the Netherlands 21-10, 21-4, and will meet compatriot Jiang Yanjiao, who beat France's Pi Hongyan in straight games.