Men’s singles bronze medal match
Lin Dan (China) vs Viktor Axelsen (Denmark)
One might wonder the attitude and spirit of Lin Dan coming into this match, having suffered a very tough loss in his classic semfinal match with Lee Chong Wei. For the first time, he will not be competing for gold and he just came off a physically and mentally-taxing match. On the other side, while Axelsen could certainly feel sluggish from his match as well, the opportunity to face Lin Dan with hardware on the line could boost his game further. While Lin is certainly the favorite, this is an intriguing match based on the different ways both players might approach the contest.
Men’s singles gold medal match
Lee Chong Wei (Malaysia) vs. Chen Long (China)
- The world’s top ranked player vs. the second ranked player. Besides a Lin Dan/Lee Chong Wei matchup, this is as good as it gets. In head to head matchups, Chen Long has won twelve times with Lee Chong Wei winning thirteen. While that is certainly close, Lee has won the past four times he has played Chen, winning most recently at the 2016 Asian Badminton championships. It’s a matchup of a seasoned veteran against a young player that is potentially the next Lin Dan. Lee should, and will be the favorite, but Long’s athleticism and younger legs, could force this match go down to the wire.