Lin Dan loses to Wang Tzu at Asian badminton championships

World
Europe

01:13

China's former world No. 1 Lin Dan failed in his first round competition to Wang Tzu Wei of Chinese Taipei 15-21, 21-9, 21-16 at the Asian badminton championships in Wuhan, central China’s Hubei Province on Wednesday.

Lin has won this tournament four times, including three years ago when the event first moved to the capital of Hubei Province. But the two-time Olympic gold medalist was challenged in the opening game by Wang from Chinese Taipei, the top unseeded player in the draw.

Lin went into the match quickly and won the first game 21-15. But the two-time Olympic champion struggled in the second game, he quickly failed behind the world number 11 by a margin of 13-2 and lost the frame 9-21.

Chinese Lin Dan and Wang Tzu Wei of Chinese Taipei handshake after the first round of competition at the Badminton Asia Championships 2018 in Wuhan. /‍VCG Photo

In the final round, where the Chinese star struggled again after 10-10, Wang, 12 years younger than Lin, used a powerful smash to set himself up for the match point. He won the game 21-16 and match, sending "Super Dan" home in three frames.

"The first game was good for me,” said Lin, “but I wasn't focused in the second. When you lose six points in a short amount of time, it is hard to regain control of the game. I thought too much on the court in the third game, and the quality of my play was not as good as Wang Tzu-Wei's."