Lin Dan of China returns the shuttlecock to Jan O Jorgensen of Denmark during his men's singles quarterfinal match at the BWF World Championships 2015 in Jakarta, Indonesia, Aug. 14, 2015. Jorgensen won 2-0. (Xinhua/Veri Sanovri)
JAKARTA, Aug. 14 (Xinhua) -- Defending champion Chen Long outclassed Viktor Axelsen of Denmark in an epic quarter-final showdown at the world badminton championships here on Friday.
Chen claimed the first game but the seventh-seeded Axelsen put up a dogged defence in the second, pushing his opponent to the limit before succumbing 21-18, 30-29.
"I was starting to prepare for the third game, but luckily I got it," Chen told reporters.
Chen will face fourth seed Kento Momota, who dispatched Wei Nan of Hong Kong, China, 21-6, 21-14, in the semifinals.
However, five-time world champion Lin Dan was eliminated by Jan O. Jorgensen. Lin went down 21-12, 21-15 in just 37 minutes.
"I didn't play well today. I played below my peak performance, not like the one I should be," Lin told a press conference after the match.
"But win or lose is common in sports."
Jorgensen will take on former world No. 1 Lee Chong Wei of Malaysia. Lee plays in the worlds as a non-seeded player after he served out an eight-month suspension due to doping offence.
In the women's singles, world number one Carolina Marin powered past seventh seed Wang Shixian of China, 21-17, 21-19.
Marin will face South Korean Sung Ji-Hyun after the ninth-seed beat India's P.V. Sindhu 21-17, 19-21, 21-16.
Indonesia's unseeded shuttler Lindaweni Fanetri upset Chinese Taipei's Tai Tzu Ying 14-21, 22-20, 21-12 before a roaring home crowd.
China's last hope in women's singles, No. 6 Wang Yihan faces Indian contender Saina Nehwal in the evening.
In the men's doubles, China's Liu Xiaolong/Qiu Zihan reached the semifinals after trashing Danish No. 2 seeds Mathias Boe/Carsten Mogensen 21-15, 21-19.
Another China's seeded men's doubles pair Fu Haifeng/Zhang Nan failed to make the semifinals after losing 21-15, 21-18 to No.1 Lee Yong Dae/Yoo Yeon Seong.
The defending champion will next meet Indonesian Mohammad Ahsan/Hendra Setiawan, who defeated Marcus Ellis/Chris Langridge 21-16 and 21-20 in a quarterfinal match.
A China-Indonesia clash will happen in the semifinal, with Tian Qing/Zhao Yunlei taking on Nitya Khrisinda Maheswari/Greysia Polii.
There were fewer surprises in the mixed doubles, with the top three pairs - two from China and one from Indonesia - progressing to the semi finals.
No. 4 Liu Cheng/Bao Yixin meet No. 2 Xu Chen/Ma Jin in an all-China semifinal, while No. 1 Zhang Nan/Zhao Yunlei vie against Indonesian pair Ahmad Tantowi/Lilyana Natsir.
