JAKARTA, Aug. 20 (Xinhua) -- China dispatched Hong Kong, China 3-0 to secure their berth in men's badminton semifinals at the 18th Asian Games here on Monday.
In his first international major tournament as No. 1 singles player of the team, Shi Yuqi romped clear of 7-7 early in the first game to triumph over Ng Ka Long Angus 21-15.
Thanks to his arsenal of attacking tactics, Shi controlled the rhythm of the second game to earn China a morale-boosted advantage at 21-11.
"I hope to take an upper hand of the match, which could offer a huge boost to my teammates' confidence," said Shi.
"In the first match here, both players could not adjust to the venue and ball quite well at the start. But I tried to play more aggressively later in the match," added the World Championships men's singles runner-up, saying that the most important thing for him after the worlds was about mental adjustment.
Li Junhui and Liu Yuchen put China further ahead as the current world champions dismissed Tang Chun Man and Yeung Ming Nok 21-13, 21-13.
Li said, "We didn't play against our opponents before, so it was bit hard for us to prepare for the match tactically. We previously played here twice, and could feel the wind inside the venue. Moreover, mental adjustment is of great importance to us."
After savoring a victory of 21-13 in the first game against Wong Wing Ki Vincent, Olympic champion Chen Long faced stiffer challenges in the second game, while steadying his nerves to win 21-14 on his opponent's error.
For Chen, when playing on court four, athletes could feel the wind stronger than on other courts, which could impact the ball's hitting quality.
"But the match is like that. We need to get over it," he added.
China, the Thomas Cup title holder, will face Chinese Taipei in Tuesday's semifinals. Chinese Taipei brushed aside Nepal 3-0.
