It’s getting tougher and tougher to compete, admits Lin Dan

Olympic champion Lin Dan admits his task is becoming harder, even though his level went up a gear as he beat his Chinese compatriot and fellow left-hander Tian Houwei to reach the All-England championships quarter-finals on Thursday.

The legendary 31-year-old has not yet returned to his best after more than two years with limited competition, but his 21-15, 21-19 victory over Tian did elevate his standard above that of his tough struggle 24 hours earlier.

Lin had just two short phases when it seemed the former world junior champion from Fujian might seriously challenge him – when Tian repaired a four-point deficit and reached 14-14 in the first game and when the 23-year-old came from a three-point deficit in the second game and led 12-10.

Each time Lin found enough flashes of the exceptional – one disguised clip from the baseline which magically fell to the floor near the net, and one reflex cross-court block against a 180 mile-an-hour smash – to carry him to a respectable success.

But Lin was not particularly impressed with himself. “I was much more relaxed because I was playing against a team mate,” he said. “In terms of mentality there wasn’t any pressure.”