World number one shuttler Lin Dan of China overcame a knee
injury to claim the All England badminton title with a 15-7, 15-7
win over South Korean Lee Hyun-II on Sunday.
The women's singles final, however, was an all-China affair for
the eighth time in nine years as defending champion Xie Xingfang
beat top seed Zhang Ning 11-6, 4-11, 11-2.
Lin, dubbed "Super Dan" by the Chinese media, injured his left
knee when he was leading 8-5 in the second game, but continued the
game after receiving courtside treatment.
"It hurt quite a lot during the last few points and I was
getting worried. But I just held on to my lead, " Lin said.
The listless Lee could not take advantage of Lin's injury. His
game was peppered with unforced errors.?
"I was very tired today and just not cope with Lin's game," Lee
said.
"He is very tough to play, and although he was injured he still
could play that powerfully," he added.
The women's doubles title went to China's Gao Ling and Huang Sui
who beat their compatriots Yang Wei and Zhang Jiewen 6-15, 15-11,
15-2. Gao also won the mixed doubles title when she partnered with
Zhang Jun to beat Nathan Robertson and Gail Emms of England in a
repeat of the 2004 Athens Olympics final.
The Chinese pair lost the first game 15-12 after leading by 11-5
and were trailing 13-14 in the second game. But they pulled off a
seemingly impossible feat when they saved five match points and
staged a ferocious comeback to win the second game 17-14 and the
third one 15-1.
The loss left the English duo distraught. "We think we should
have won. When you have five match points you should win. It was
quite a strange match," Robertson said.
(Xinhua News Agency January 23, 2006)