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Chen Long in, Lin Dan out at world badminton championships

Xinhua, August 14, 2015 Adjust font size:

Defending champion Chen Long outclassed Viktor Axelsen of Denmark in an epic quarter-final showdown at the world badminton championships here on Friday.

Chen claimed the first game but the seventh-seeded Axelsen put up a dogged defence in the second, pushing his opponent to the limit before succumbing 21-18, 30-29.

"I was starting to prepare for the third game, but luckily I got it," Chen told reporters.

Chen will face fourth seed Kento Momota, who dispatched Wei Nan of Hong Kong, China, 21-6, 21-14, in the semifinals.

However, five-time world champion Lin Dan was eliminated by Jan O. Jorgensen. Lin went down 21-12, 21-15 in just 37 minutes.

"I didn't play well today. I played below my peak performance, not like the one I should be," Lin told a press conference after the match.

"But win or lose is common in sports."

Jorgensen will take on former world No. 1 Lee Chong Wei of Malaysia. Lee plays in the worlds as a non-seeded player after he served out an eight-month suspension due to doping offence.

In the women's singles, world number one Carolina Marin powered past seventh seed Wang Shixian of China, 21-17, 21-19.

Marin will face South Korean Sung Ji-Hyun after the ninth-seed beat India's P.V. Sindhu 21-17, 19-21, 21-16.

Indonesia's unseeded shuttler Lindaweni Fanetri upset Chinese Taipei's Tai Tzu Ying 14-21, 22-20, 21-12 before a roaring home crowd.

China's last hope in women's singles, No. 6 Wang Yihan faces Indian contender Saina Nehwal in the evening.

In the men's doubles, China's Liu Xiaolong/Qiu Zihan reached the semifinals after trashing Danish No. 2 seeds Mathias Boe/Carsten Mogensen 21-15, 21-19.

Another China's seeded men's doubles pair Fu Haifeng/Zhang Nan failed to make the semifinals after losing 21-15, 21-18 to No.1 Lee Yong Dae/Yoo Yeon Seong.

The defending champion will next meet Indonesian Mohammad Ahsan/Hendra Setiawan, who defeated Marcus Ellis/Chris Langridge 21-16 and 21-20 in a quarterfinal match.

A China-Indonesia clash will happen in the semifinal, with Tian Qing/Zhao Yunlei taking on Nitya Khrisinda Maheswari/Greysia Polii.

There were fewer surprises in the mixed doubles, with the top three pairs - two from China and one from Indonesia - progressing to the semi finals.

No. 4 Liu Cheng/Bao Yixin meet No. 2 Xu Chen/Ma Jin in an all-China semifinal, while No. 1 Zhang Nan/Zhao Yunlei vie against Indonesian pair Ahmad Tantowi/Lilyana Natsir. Endi