Mixed Doubles Gold Medal Match
Ahmad/Natsir (Indonesia) vs. Goh/Chan (Malaysia)
- Leading up to the Gold Medal Match on Wednesday night, Tontowi Ahmad and Liliyana Natsir have put on an impressive show for badminton fans around the world. After finishing fourth in London four years ago, barely missing the bronze medal, the duo appear motivated as ever as their quest for gold hardware culminates on Wednesday. In group play, Ahmad and Natsir defeated Goh/Chan 21-15 and 21-11, so confidence is certainly not an issue. The Indonesian tandem then navigated through the knockout stages by beating their compatriots, Debby Susanto and Praveen Jordan in the quarterfinal, and the top ranked team in the world, China’s Nan Zhang/Yunlei Zhao, in the semifinal.
- Goh/Chan will have revenge on its mind after losing to Ahmad and Natsir in group play. The athletic and savvy duo from Malaysia defeated Poland’s Mateusiak and Ziebda in the quarterfinals, and then Xu Chen/Ma Jin from China in the semifinals. It’s #4 in the world vs #11 in the world for the right to lay claim as the world’s best mixed doubles team and it all happens Wednesday morning at 11:30.
Men’s Singles Quarterfinals
Lee Chong Wei (Malaysia) vs. Chou Tien Chen (Chinese Taipei)
- The world’s #1 ranked player breezed through the group stage, completely obliterated opponents in all games but one, and earned a bye to the quarterfinal stage. His opponent, 7th ranked Chou Tien Chen, is also a terrifc player who moved through his group with ease and then handedly defeated Hong Kong’s Hu Yun in the round of 16. The real test for Lee begins tomorrow but fans should expect that he gets the job done, no matter how easy or hard it is.
Lin Dan (China) vs. Srikanth Kidambi (India)
- Similar to Lee Chong Wei, Lin Dan crushed his opponents in group play and received a bye to the quarterfinal round. However, the competition will get tougher for Lin now though as he faces Srikanth Kidambi, the 11th ranked player in the world. Kidambi slipped past Denmark’s Jan O Jorgensen in the round of 16 in two very close, and mentally-taxing games. He will have to be at his absolute best if he wants to pull off the major upset and dethrone the reigning gold medal champion, Lin Dan.
Son Wan Ho (Korea) vs. Chen Long (China)
- Chen Long, similarly to Lee Chong Wei and Lin Dan, skated through group play, comfortably dispatching the two opponents that he faced. Receiving a bye to the quarterfinals, Long squares of against Korea’s Son Wan Ho. The 8th ranked player in the world, Son Wan Ho beat Hong Kong’s Ng Ka Long in the round of 16, 23-21 and 21-17, while not even performing at his absolute best.
Rajiv Ouseph (Great Britain) vs. Viktor Axelsen (Denmark)
- Viktor Axelsen, the 4th ranked player in the world, defeated Ireland’s Scott Evans in the round of 16. Ouseph defeated Indonesia’s Tommy Sugiarto, (a player who he had lost to five times before), in the round of 16. Viktor Axelsen vs. Chen Long is a matchup that many badminton fans around the world and it appears that, barring an unforeseen upset, it will take place.