No clean sweep for China in badminton: mixed doubles champions and runners-up knocked out of Rio 2016
Indonesians, Malaysians, Indians and even Brits all star on a good day for non-Chinese players
Tontowi Ahmad and Lilyana Natsir of Indonesia won their mixed doubles semi-final against Nan Zhang and Yunlei of China. (Photo: Getty Images/Mike Ehrmann)
China's hopes of repeating its London 2012 Olympic Games clean-sweep of all five badminton gold medals evaporated on Monday (15 August) as both its pairs were knocked out in the semifinals of the Rio 2016 mixed doubles competition.
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In a climactic end to the evening session, London 2012 Olympic Games mixed doubles silver medallists Xu Chen and Ma Jin were beaten in straight games by Malaysian pair Chan Peng Soon and Goh Liu Ying, before the no.1 seeds and defending champions from China, Zhang Nan and Zhao Yunlei, were dumped out by Indonesia's Tontowi Ahmad and Liliyana Natsir.
"This is for my family, my wife, my children, my parents, everyone watching back home and the people of Indonesia," an emotional Ahmad said after running into the large contingent of Indonesia fans inside Riocentro Pavilion 4.
India's badminton stars fail to shine at Rio 2016
On a dramatic day, Great Britain broke new ground as it qualified players into the semi-finals of the men's doubles and the last eight of the men's singles event for the first time at an Olympic Games. Marcus Ellis and Chris Langridge moved to within one win of what would be only Great Britain's third Olympic Games medal in badminton.
"If you had said before we came here that we would be in the semis, I would have bitten your hand off," Langridge said, after the pair ranked no.22 in the world overcame Hiroyukie Endo and Kenichi Hayakawa of Japan in straight games.
"On that last set I was so tired, I just thought, 'please keep hitting it to Marcus'. My legs had gone and I was just standing there."
Team-mate Rajiv Ouseph followed up with a hard-fought 2-1 win over men's no.7 seed Tommy Sugiarto of Indonesia in the men's singles.
There was heartache for Thailand as women's singles no.4 seed Ratchanok Intanon became the biggest casualty of the round of 16 after the top three seeds in both the men's and women's events were handed a bye to the quarterfinals.
"This is a game, it is a sport," Intano said after losing 2-0 to Akane Yamaguchi of Japan. "It can be turned black or white (and) it can go either way, so it is alright. I accept the results and I will try again next time. I will be back."
The player known affectionately in Thailand as 'Nong May' – meaning 'young girl' – will be 25 when the next opportunity to win Thailand's first Olympic Games badminton medal comes knocking at Tokyo 2020.
Elsewhere in the singles events, Indian hope Pusarla V Sindhu won through comfortably against Tai Tzu Ying from Chinese Taipei while her compatriot Srikanth Kidambi turned the tables on the no.5 seed, Jan O Jorgensen of Denmark. The Danish flag was kept flying in the men's event by Viktor Axelsen, as he brushed aside Scott Evans from Ireland.
Pusarla V SIndhu is keeping the Indian flag flying in the women's singles event (Photo: Getty Images/Mike Ehrmann)
On Tuesday, China will face off for the bronze medal in the mixed doubles as the top three seeds in the women's singles return to competition. World no.1 Carolina Marin from Spain plays Korean no.7 seed Sung Ji Hyun.
