Badminton powerhouses sail past opener at TU Cup

WUHAN, China - Without conceding a single set, Chinese women's and men's teams overwhelmed South Africa and England 5-0 to obtain a flying start on the first day of the Thomas and Uber Cup on Sunday.

The Chinese men's team cheer up before the Thomas Cup match in Wuhan, Central China's Hubei province, May 20, 2012. [Photo/Xinhua]

China's "Super Dan" Lin Dan is the most popular player on the first day, he marked a fantastic opener for China by easing past Rajiv Ouseph 21-14 21-10 in front of the home crowd.

When lagging behind 4-7 in the beginning stage, Lin regained his sharpness to level the score 10-10 and took five points in a row to win the first set. The second set was one-sided as Lin led all the way to finish the match.

"The broken racket's string affected my play at the start of the first set. I'm very happy to be the first singles in today's match, because it's a great opportunity to prove my value." said Lin, who participates in the Thomas Cup for the six-consecutive time.

Although met little resistance, world No 1 Cai Yun/Fu Haifeng edged out England Chris Adcock/Andrew Ellis 21-11, 22-20 in the first doubles match, followed by Chen Long, who lifted the host to a 3-0 lead by beating Ben Beckman 21-5, 21-5. Chai Biao/Guo Zhendong and Du Pengyu secured the aggregate score to 5-0 with two easy victories.

Wang Yihan of China hits a ball in the Uber Cup in Wuhan, May 20, 2012. [Photo/Xinhua]

Chinese women's team showed their dominating performance with a 5-0 sweep over South Africa in the earlier match.

The world No 1 Wang Yihan outclassed Kerry-Lee Harrington of South Africa in the first singles match, winning 21-1, 21-2 in just 20 minutes. Following Wang's perfect performance, Wang Xin and Li Xuerui both took an easy win over their opponents to seal the victory.

Wang Yihan, who lost the first singles match at the final of Uber Cup two years ago, thought this dramatic win is just the beginning, "The main purpose of this match is to adapt to the field, wind and lights."

For the other Badminton powerhouses, world No 5 Gade led Danmark to smash South Africa 5-0 in Group C of the Thomas Cup. The 35-year old star admitted that it's his last play in the tournament.

Coach Zhang Ning, who is a former Olympics champion, tutors Wang Yihan of China during the Uber cup in Wuhan, May 20, 2012. [Photo/Xinhua]