TheStar 7th Nov '05 HONG KONG: China completed a clean sweep of the Hong Kong Open badminton championships yesterday, winning all five titles after world number one Lin Dan downed compatriot Bao Chunlai in the men’s singles. Lin Dan was simply unstoppable winning 15-10, 15-4 and proving his recent gold medal at the National Games in Jiangsu where he also defeated Chunlai, the world number four, was no fluke. Olympic champion Zhang Ning defeated world champion and compatriot Xie Xingfang 11-4, 1-11, 11-6 to take the women’s singles title in an exciting match that pitted the world’s top two players against one another. Lin Dan consolidated his number one position in the Chinese national team by thrashing his teammate for his second Hong Kong Open title. “Before the match, I was worried that I would not be in good form since I just finished the National Games (last month) and I was tired,” said Lin Dan, the 2003 Hong Kong Open winner. “But winning this has given me a boost for the upcoming tournaments such as the China Open,” he said. “Victory means a lot to me because this is a six-star tournament and many of the world’s top players were competing. Winning confirms my ability,” he said. Chunlai once again failed to end his losing run against Lin Dan, who now leads their head-to-head clashes 9-4. “I was out of form today even though I felt all right after winning my semi-final match. I felt tired even after the first few minutes of play and my speed was definitely down,” said Chunlai. Zhang Ning defeated Xingfang for the first time in four major finals this year. China won the women’s doubles in another all-Chinese final when top seeds Yang Wei and Zhang Jiewen defeated Gao Ling and Huang Sui, the number two seeds, 15-13, 8-15, 15-6. Even Athens Olympic silver medallists, Nathan Robertson and Gail Emms from England, could not stop the Chinese onslaught. They were defeated in the mixed doubles by unseeded pair Xie Zhongbo and Zhang Yawen, who tasted their first international victory, winning 15-8, 15-5. – AFP
