YONEX FRENCH OPEN –Lin Dan Simply the Best
'SuperDan' once again showed that he is not only the best men's singles shuttler on the planet but worthy of that accolade by a wide margin over his nearest rivals.
The Chinese wonder was in awe inspiring form at the Stade de Coubertain as he literally brushed aside the challenge of Taufik Hidayat in 2 sets.
The first set saw the Chinese superstar blow away Taufik with a run of 10 points straight after the interval to take the 21-6. The second set proved to be much closer as Hidayat found some of the form that saw him beat Peter Gade in the semi final. Taufik trailed 15-9 but four uncharacteristic errors from the Olympic and World champion let the Indonesian back into the set at 15-13. Lin Dan composed himself after and only allowed Hidayat 2 more points on his way to a 21-15 win and the top step of the podium at the French Open. In all Lin Dan made only 7 unforced errors for the entire match, when considering he was playing one of his most talented adversaries, is a remarkable statistic in itself.
"I played very well today and I'm very happy with my performance. I expected more from Taufik but he looked a little off the pace which may have been a result of his tough match against Peter Gade yesterday. Now I will continue to train hard and be ready for the worlds here in this stadium next year." Said Lin Dan after his victory.
"Lin Dan was outstanding today and I had no answers. However I am very pleased with my performance this week as my goal was to reach the final and I managed to do just that" commented Hidayat.