Same old story as Super Dan blows away Lee Chong Wei in semi-finals
China's champion gets better of his arch-rival once again, condemning the Malaysian to another fruitless major title hunt in semi loss
There was a familiar ring to Lee Chong Wei's defeat at the hands of his Chinese nemesis in Incheon yesterday.
Last year's badminton world championships final was decided in three games; the 2012 Olympic Games title match in London produced the same scoreline and there was no change for the Malaysian veteran yesterday.
After battling hard for 72 minutes, the world number one from Malaysia was once again beaten by his old rival, Lin Dan, 2-1 (22-20, 12-21, 21-9) in the semi-finals at Gyeyang Gymnasium.
Winning one more title or not is not the most important thing for me now as I want to enjoy the sport in the next two years
Lee has now lost his last three encounters against Lin, nicknamed "Super Dan", who has cut back on his appearances on the world tour after clinching his second Olympic Game singles title two years ago.
The rivalry between the two stars has captured the attention of fans all over - and the two players themselves appreciate the intensity of their clashes.
"I don't think there will be many chances like this [against Lee]," said Lin after extending his head-to-head win record to 23-9 over his long-time rival. "It's always a great match when we meet.
"I lost focus a bit in the first game after some dubious line calls, but the rest was fine."
Both players displayed the highest level of badminton with their smooth skills. While Lin's powerful attack was second to none, Lee also had some good defence work to frustrate his opponent and silence many of the fans who kept cheering for Lin.
