New Straits Times » Sport [b]BADMINTON:[/b] Hafiz beats Chong Wei for final spot By K.M. Boopathy March 5: BERLIN: Hafiz Hashim stayed on course to clinch his first title since winning the 2003 All-England when he defeated compatriot Lee Chong Wei to advance to the German Open final in Mulheim yesterday. Hafiz beat fourth seed Chong Wei 15-3, 15-7 in 30 minutes in the semi-finals. Hafiz will meet either top seed Lin Dan of China or third seed Bao Chunlai, also from China, in the final today. Wong Pei Tty-Chin Eei Hui were the other Malaysians in action in a late match last night. They took on World No 2 Wei Yili-Zhao Tingting of China in the women's doubles semi-finals. In the quarter-finals, Pei Tty-Eei Hui came back from a game down to edge Du Jing-Yu Yang of China 8-15, 17-16, 17-16 in a marathon encounter which lasted 88 minutes. However, it was the end of the road for Wong Choong Hann in the men's singles as he fell to a 10-15, 15-10, 15-7 defeat in the quarter-finals to Chunlai after an 83-minute battle on Thursday. In the men's doubles, Chan Chong Ming-Koo Kien Keat crashed out in the quarter-finals after losing 15-9, 8-15, 15-12 to South Korean back-up combination Jung Jae Sung-Lee Jae Jin. RESULTS - Men's Singles, Q-finals: Lin Dan (Chn) bt Xia Xuanze (Chn) 15-9, 15-6; Bao Chunlai (Chn) bt Wong Choong Hann (Mas) 10-15, 15-10, 15-7; Lee Chong Wei (Mas) bt Dicky Palyama (Ned) 11-15, 15-12, 15-4; Hafiz Hashim (Mas) bt Chen Yu (Chn) 15-10, 15-3. S-final: Hafiz Hashim bt Lee Chong Wei 15-3, 15-7. Men's Doubles, Q-finals: Jens Eriksen-Martin Lundgaard Hansen (Den) bt Ha Tae Kwon-Yim Bang Eun (S Kor) 17-14, 15-9; Markis Khido-Hendra Setiawan (Ina) bt Hwang Ji Man-Lee Yong Dae (S Kor) 4-15, 15-11, 15-6; Jung Jae Sung-Lee Jae Jin (S Kor) bt Chan Chong Ming-Koo Kien Keat (Mas) 15-9, 8-15, 15-12; Fu Haifeng-Cai Yun (Chn) bt Tony Gunawan-Howard Bach (US) 15-0, 13-15, 15-11. Women's Doubles, Q-finals: Lee Kyung Won-Lee Hyo Jung (S Kor) bt Zhang Jiewen-Yang Wei (Chn) 15-10, 14-17, 15-8; Gao Ling-Huang Sui (Chn) bt Chien Yu Chin-Chen Wen Hsing (Tai) 15-5, 15-4; Wong Pei Tty-Chin Eei Hui (Mas) bt Du Jing-Yu Yang (Chn) 8-15, 17-16, 17-16; Wei Yili-Zhao Tingting (Chn) bt Kamila Augustyn-Nadiezda Kostiuczyk (Pol) 15-2, 15-7. Mixed Doubles s-finals: Nathan Robertson-Gail Emms (Eng) bt Zhang Jun-Gao Ling (Chn) 15-11, 15-12; Lee Jae Jin-Lee Hyo Jung (S Kor) bt Chen Qiqiu-Zhao Tingting (Chn) 13-15, 15-8, 15-7.
