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China Beats Denmark 3-2 to Reach Sudirman Cup Badminton Final
China was only one step away from winning a fourth successive Sudirman Cup as they eliminated a brave Danish side 3-2 in the semifinals of the world badminton mixed team championships Friday in Seville.
Michael Sogaard and Rikke Olsen, ranked first in the world, gave Denmark a flying start in the mixed doubles by beating Olympic champions Zhang Jun and Gao Ling 15-11, 15-8.
But Olympic women's singles titlist Gong Zhichao, also two-time All England champion, showed the event remained her domain despite she has slipped from the first to fifth in the world rankings, breezing past the current world number one Camilla Martin 15-1, 15- 0 in just 23 minutes.
Peter Gade regained the lead for Denmark in a thrilling men's singles match, at the expense of Chinese number one and world fourth-ranked Chen Hong 17-15, 15-11.
Gade raced to a 14-5 lead in the first set but Chen, beaten finalist in the All England championships in March, made a brilliant comeback to pull it even at 14-all.
Chen, 22, a substitute for Olympic champion Ji Xinpeng in the semifinal, went up to 15-14 but Gade recovered at the crucial moment and scored three points in a row for a 17-15 win.
The Chinese built a 6-2 lead in the second set but was held to 6-6 before Gade led all the way to win the match 15-11.
"Peter was very tired in the first set, but he showed great courage at the most important moment," said Denmark's team manager Kenneth Larsen.
"Chen Hong is a very fast player and played some very good shots in the first set, " Gade said. "But I was always confident that I could win. I knew I should take the chance and I am very happy that I have taken it."
Gao Ling and Huang Sui put China back into contention after they crushed world second-ranked women's pair Helene Kirkegaard and Rikke Olsen 15-3, 15-2.
Zhang Jun and Zhang Wei sealed China's final berth with a 15-8, 15-9 victory over world number one Jens Eriksen and Jesper Larsen in the men's doubles event.
"The results are not what we have expected," said Kennet Larsen. "We had expected to win 3-2 but our men's doubles team failed to play their best. They were too nervous. "
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