China rule as seeds tumble

USUALLY when the top seeds are sent packing in the semi-finals it constitutes a major upset but not in the BWF Super Series Finals in Shenzhen yesterday.

The loss of the top seeded mixed doubles and women's doubles pairs hardly raised an eye-brow given the higher standing of the conquerors.
The 16-21, 21-11, 21-19 defeat London Olympic silver medalists Xu Chen-Ma Jin to Olympic champions Zhang Nan-Zhao Yunlei, seeded fourth, is not the biggest of surprises in the all-China mixed doubles semi-final.
But what made a mockery of the Badminton World Federation's seedings was the 21-9, 21-8 hammering which fourth seeds Wang Xiaoli-Yu Yang of China, ranked No 3 in the world, inflicted on Japanese top seeds Shizuka Matsuo-Mami Naito, the World No 5, in the women's doubles semi-finals.
China's Chen Long kept to his favourite tag in reaching the men's singles final against either compatriot Du Pengyu or Denmark's Hans-Kristian Vittinghus with a 21-10, 21-18 win over Hong Kong's Hu Yun while the hosts are assured of the women's title after Wang Shixian and Li Xuerui advanced to the final.
RESULTS (all s-finals) -- Men's singles: Cheng Long (Chn) bt Hu Yun (HK) 21-10, 21-18; Doubles: Hiroyuki Endo-Kenichi Hayakawa (Jpn) bt Cai Yun-Fu Haifeng (Chn) 13-9 rtd, Mathias Boe-Carsten Mogensen (Den) bt Hong Wei-Shen Ye (Chn) 26-24, 24-26, 21-15;
Women's singles: Wang Shixian (Chn) bt Ratchanok Intanon (Tha) 21-12, 21-19, Li Xuerui (Chn) bt Saina Nehwal (Ind) 22-20, 7-21, 21-13; Doubles: Wang Xiaoli-Yu Yang (Chn) bt Shizuka Matsuo-Mami Naito (Jpn) 21-9, 21-8, Christinna Pedersen-Kamilla Rytter Juhl (Den) bt Tian Qing-Zhao Yunlei (Chn) 19-21, 21-18, 24-22;
Mixed doubles: Zhang Nan-Zhao Yunlei (Chn) bt Xu Chen-Ma Jin (Chn) 16-21, 21-11, 21-19, Joachim Nielsen-Christinna Pedersen (Den) bt Sudket Prapakamol-Saralee Thoungthongkam (Tha) 21-19, 21-13.