Lin Dan may have a match with arch-rival Lee Chong Wei at the world championships in Jakarta. (Photo : Reuters)
The battle between China and Japan for the 10th Sudirman Cup proved to be intense and worth watching, thanks to stellar performances by both teams.
In a thrilling turn of events, the Chinese team defeated their opponents with a solid 3-0 win. The match was held on Sunday, May 17, at the Dongguan Sports Center in Guangdong Province.
The victory is China's sixth consecutive win in the world team badminton championship.
The spectators were at the edge of their seats. Fans of both teams cheered with thunderous applauses as China and Japan battled it out for a chance to win the Sudirman Cup. Legendary Chinese badminton star Lin Dan gave the final blow with a powerful smash, but even he admitted it was a tough game.
"The competition is fiercer than expected. I fought to the end and I did it," said the two-time Olympic champion. His opponent was Takuma Ueda, who is 25th in the world rankings.
Lin Dan is considered as the greatest badminton player of all time.
Aside from his Olympic medals, the athlete has won other major titles such as the World Championships, the Super Series Masters Finals, All England Open, Thomas Cup, and Asian Games. 31-year-old Lin is also the only player to have won in all nine major titles in the badminton world.
China's badminton duo of Zhang Nan and Fu Haifeng, on the other hand, managed to cruise past Japan for the men's doubles category with the scores 21-17, 20-22, 21-17.
Li Xueri, China's representative for the women's singles, won another victory for her home country as she beat Japan's Akane Yamaguchi.
