Same old story as Super Dan blows away Lee Chong Wei in semi-finals
China's champion gets better of his arch-rival once again, condemning the Malaysian to another fruitless major title hunt in semi loss
There was a familiar ring to Lee Chong Wei's defeat at the hands of his Chinese nemesis in Incheon yesterday.
Last year's badminton world championships final was decided in three games; the 2012 Olympic Games title match in London produced the same scoreline and there was no change for the Malaysian veteran yesterday.
After battling hard for 72 minutes, the world number one from Malaysia was once again beaten by his old rival, Lin Dan, 2-1 (22-20, 12-21, 21-9) in the semi-finals at Gyeyang Gymnasium.
Winning one more title or not is not the most important thing for me now as I want to enjoy the sport in the next two years
Lee has now lost his last three encounters against Lin, nicknamed "Super Dan", who has cut back on his appearances on the world tour after clinching his second Olympic Game singles title two years ago.
The rivalry between the two stars has captured the attention of fans all over - and the two players themselves appreciate the intensity of their clashes.
"I don't think there will be many chances like this [against Lee]," said Lin after extending his head-to-head win record to 23-9 over his long-time rival. "It's always a great match when we meet.
"I lost focus a bit in the first game after some dubious line calls, but the rest was fine."
Both players displayed the highest level of badminton with their smooth skills. While Lin's powerful attack was second to none, Lee also had some good defence work to frustrate his opponent and silence many of the fans who kept cheering for Lin.
The Malaysian only had himself to blame for conceding four points when leading 20-16 in the first game as Lin took six points in a row to wrap it up.
Lee, however, responded quickly with a comfortable second game win but he was no match in the rubber when Lin upped the tempo, displaying the unbelievable court speed that has made him the most feared player in the world.
"The result was not too bad considering our latest matches and I did not make too many mistakes this time," said Lee.
"The first game was crucial as I tried to make it simple to win when leading 20-16. Unfortunately, it didn't work that way.
"But winning one more title or not is not the most important thing for me now as I want to enjoy the sport in the next two years."
Despite his age, Lee, who will turn 32 next month, has his sights firmly on the 2016 Olympic Games.
Lin will now meet compatriot Chen Long in an all-Chinese final after the latter easily thrashed Wei Nan of Hong Kong in another semi-final tie, 21-6, 21-10.
"Chen and the two other semi-finalists are in a class of their own and it will be difficult for any other player to beat them," said Wei, who took the only badminton medal for Hong Kong in Incheon as there is no play-off for the bronze.
"I am not too disappointed with my result as this is the first time and possibly the last I take part in the Asian Games."
Now 30, Wei, whose world ranking has now reached 17 after impressive performances in the grand prix gold series, is also targeting the Olympic Games in two years.
"I hope to qualify for the Rio Games," he said.
"At this age, I am enjoying the sport very much and, hopefully, it can give me extra impetus to realise my goal."
