OLYMPICS Day 6 – China to take a mix of gold and silver

Day 6 saw the beginning of the semi-final bouts and the start of the mid-day session saw both mixed doubles matches played at once.  Possibly distracted by the controversies of the previous day, the Chinese mixed doubles pairs both started slowly, losing their first games, but fought back to ensure an all-China mixed doubles final for the first time in Olympic history.

By Michael Burke, Badzine Correspondent.  Photos: Badmintonphoto (archives)

The first game to finish saw the Chinese second seeds Xu Chen and Ma Jin (pictured) play the Indonesian fourth seeds Ahmad and Natsir.  The Chinese recovered after trailing for much of the first game to save 2 game points and tie at 20-all.  They earned one themselves at 21-20 but ultimately they lost a very close game in extra points, the Indonesians taking the game 23-21.

The start of the second game again saw a very even contest featuring some great defence by both pairs.  An incredible exchange for the Chinese to go up 18-15 saw both Xu and Ahmad flat on the floor.  China watched a 20-16 lead shrink in a brief recovery at the end reminiscent of their recovery in the first game, but held out to win the second 21-18.

Xu and Ma, took an early lead in the deciding game and capitalised on a lapse in concentration to take a lead that never looked in danger as Ahmad continued to make unforced errors.  Whilst the Indonesians continued to fight, the Chinese proved unassailable, finally taking the game, and the match, with a final score 21-23, 21-18, 21-13.

The other match-up of Denmark’s Joachim Fischer Nielsen and Christinna Pedersen (pictured right) against the Chinese first pair Zhang and Zhao saw the Danes take the first game in a closely contested exchange.  The Chinese were all too ready to play to Fischer, who outwitted and out-powered his male counterpart to take the early lead in the quickest game of the match 21-17 in 21 minutes.

The second game saw a change in tactics with the Chinese involving Pedersen more at the net and with it a reversal of the control, as Zhao Yunlei started to take chances, seemingly able to read Fischer’s drives in particular.  The Danes recovered from 9-16 down with a good run of four straight points, but a nervous service fault was a reprieve for the Chinese, who went on to take the game 21-17 at the third opportunity.

In the deciding game, nervous play from Pedersen, put herself and Fischer under pressure in the early exchanges. Zhang and Zhao surged to take a decisive 5-point lead into the mid-game interval, again Zhao outplaying Pedersen at the net.

The Danes appeared to gain a second wind however, starting to draw errors from a nervous-looking Chinese pair.  Fischer played incredibly to keep the Danes in the game and with the game level at 18-all, the results could have easily gone either way.

After a couple of errors by the Danes, Zhang and Zhao took the match at the second attempt and an all China mixed doubles final was ensured.

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