JAKARTA, Aug. 20 (Xinhua) -- China and Thailand booked a semifinal encounter again following the 2018 Uber Cup as they cruised through the women's badminton team quarterfinals at the 18th Asian Games here on Monday.
It took China less than an hour to eliminate Maldives in straight sets.
China's top singles player Chen Yufei was hardly made to sweat in a 21-2, 21-3 victory over Fathimath Razzaq in 17 minutes.
"The first match was about my adjustment to the venue. I felt the wind inside was a bit strong, and I had to overcome that as well as I could," said Chen.
World Championships bronze medalist He Bingjiao swept aside Aminath Moosa 21-6, 21-3.
Despite being familiar with the venue due to previous experience playing here, He said that she needs to have a better control of the ball's speed.
China secured their berth in final four through Gao Fangjie's 21-5, 21-9 win against Neela Najeeb.
Thailand also breezed past Chinese Taipei 3-0, spearheaded by Ratchanok Intanon's 21-18, 21-18 victory in a spotlight clash with world No. 1 Tai Tzuying.
China lost to Thailand 3-2 in this year's Uber Cup semifinal, missing the final for the first time in 34 years since its debut in the tournament.
"This time will be a bit different due to our loss at the Uber Cup," admitted He.
