Defending champion Lee Chong Wei and Lin “super” Dan are on a collision course at the Japan Open this week, where Chinese star Lin will be gunning for revenge over his great rival. The world number one Lee, who won the All England Championships for a second year running in March, defeated Lin in three games in the men’s final of last year’s Japan Open to regain the crown he won in 2007.
But Lin, a two-time champion in Japan in 2005 and 2006 who is widely regarded as the best player of all time, has a knack of beating the Malaysian when it really matters — including the Beijing Olympics and the Asian Games. Top-seeded Lee will take on Rajiv Ouseph of England in a potentially tricky first-round tie in Tokyo and assuming he comes through that unscathed, faces either Wong Wing-ki of Hong Kong or Wang Zhengming of China after that.
Lee, 28, is in the same part of the draw as Athens Olympic gold medallist Taufik Hidayat of Indonesia, seeded fifth, who has yet to win a title this season. The out-of-form Hidayat will play a qualifier in the first round. “This is the 30th anniversary of the Japan Open so I skipped the China Masters after the world championships and tried to concentrate on this tournament. I really want to win it,” said Lee.
With qualification points for the 2012 London Olympics also up for grabs, Lee added: “The race for the Olympics continues until May next year. It is important to get good results, but I will be careful not to get an injury.” Also in the top half of the draw are two-time Japan Open champion Peter Gade of Denmark, the third seed, and Tien Minh Nguyen of Vietnam, seeded seven. Lin, the world number two and second seed, also has a difficult start when he goes up against the 2002 champion Lee Hyun-Il of South Korea.
The 27-year-old Lin, who like Lee is a big star in his home country, suffered a rare disappointment in last week’s China Masters, where he lost to compatriot Chen Jin in the semi-finals. Chen beat Lin in a close first set and went on to take the match in Changzhou city 25-23, 21-15. Chen lost the final to another Chinese, Chen Long.
The temperamental Lin, who is revered in China for his badminton prowess and his film star looks, told reporters after his semi-final beating: “I don’t want to say anything, other than the gold medal is ours (China’s).
“I don’t want to talk about how I played.” Lin is widely expected to quit the game after his title defence in London.
The 2010 world champion Chen Jin, the sixth seed, could face Lin again because they are in the same half of the draw in Tokyo, as is Chen Long. The Chinese, who monopolised the women’s singles finals in the past four years in Japan, are expected to dominate again with world champion Wang Yihan and All England champion Wang Shixian leading the field as the top two seeds. Wang Yihan was placed in the same side of the draw as the fifth seed and 2007 winner Tine Baun of Denmark. Wang Shixian, who will play Chinese-born Pi Hongyan of France in the first round, was drawn in the same half as Juliane Schenk of Germany and Indian star Saina Nehwal.
