Chinese shuttler Bao Chunlai edged past compatriot Li Yu 21-14,
21-15 to enter men's singles final at Beijing International
Badminton Tournament on Saturday.
The win certainly didn't come easy for the second-seeded
left-handed Bao. In the first game, the combination of Bao's errors
and Li's smashes made the score tie five times. Bao held his
composure to widen the margin with sharp-angled shots and series of
forehand smashes at 11-7 before the break.
Being quick at the net and precise with his smashes, Bao
maintained the advantage with a run of four straight of his won en
route to the 21-14 victory in the first set.
The second game followed the same pattern as Bao was left behind
at 2-5 before pocketing seven consecutive points to take the
largest lead at 13-6.Bao then powered his engine with his trick
shots to finally pressure Li to lose at 15-21 in 33 minutes, roared
on by hundreds of Bao's supporters.
"He (Li) is an energetic young player and I played him very hard
today. I felt relieved that finally I made it," said Bao after the
match.
Speaking of his encounter with Lin Dan tomorrow, Bao is at ease,
"Nothing to worry about, just try my best and play every minute as
if it were Olympics," said Bao.
"I will dress in blue, that's my lucky color," he smiled.
Men's singles final will be held on Oct. 14 at Beijing
University of Technology (BUT) Gymnasium, the badminton venue for
2008 Beijing Olympics.
(Xinhua News Agency October 14, 2007)