Chen Long of China competes during the men's singles semi-final of badminton against Anthony Sinisuka Ginting of Indonesia in the semi-final in Tokyo on August 1, 2021. (Xinhua/Xu Zijian)
Badminton Olympic defending champion Chen Long of China marches into men's single's final at Tokyo 2020.
TOKYO, Aug. 1 (Xinhua) -- China's Olympic defending champion Chen Long on Sunday beat Indonesia's fifth seed Anthony Sinisuka Ginting 2-0 in badminton men's singles to reach the final, getting one step closer to claiming his second Olympic gold at Tokyo 2020.
After tying at 4-4 in the opening set, Chen reeled in five points in straight to reinforce the lead and took the game 21-16. He continued to dominate the second game to a 21-11 victory.
Chen, the reigning Olympic gold medalist and two-time world champion will meet Denmark's world No.2 Victor Axelsen on Monday to defend his title.
Earlier in the other semifinal, Axelsen crushed the event's dark horse, No.59 Kevin Cordon from Guatemala, to progress into the final.
Chen, when asked how he will contest against Axelsen, said he is not under pressure. "He is in perfect condition and made it through to the final comfortably. So what I need to do is to bring out the best of myself," he said.
Chen Long of China celebrates during the men's singles semi-final of badminton against Anthony Sinisuka Ginting of Indonesia at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo on August 1, 2021. (Xinhua/Xue Yubin)
"It is Olympics, chances are equal for everybody and unexpected things can happen. I think I played well today because I held on to my tactics, stayed confident and fought hard for each point," he added.
Ginting, the bronze medalist at the 2018 Asian Games on home soil, said Chen played differently today than in their previous encounters.
"He tried to not lift the shuttle up too much, so I think that's why he can control the match from the beginning until the finish," he commented.
"He was very focused and made fewer mistakes than before," Ginting added.
Despite the loss, the Indonesian still has work to do fighting for a podium finish.
"This is my first Olympics, and to the semifinal is a dream come true, so I don't want to waste this chance," he said. "There is a chance to get a medal so I need to recover fast."
In the bronze medal match, Ginting will play against Guatemala's Cordon, who beat South Korea's Heo Kwang-hee in a clash between the dark horses in the quarterfinals staged on Saturday.