Olympic champion Zhang Ning enters badminton women's singles semifinals
13/8/2008 18:17
Defending champion Zhang Ning today entered the badminton women's singles
semifinals at the Beijing Olympic Games, by beating Pi Hongyan from
France.
Zhang beat Pi, the world's No. 5 at 21-8, 19-21, 21-19. The match was
very close as both were among the world's best women singles. The two players
drew after the first and second games, and were once at 11-11 in the decisive
third game.
Zhang, 33, went into tears after the victory. "The match was too
difficult for me. I have been fighting hard against her all along, and now I am
exhausted."
"My coach told me to hang on in the middle of the second match,
and I finally made it," Zhang added.
Pi, 29, said she was disappointed for
her defeat, attributing it to the performance in the first game and too much
defense thereafter.
"I failed in consuming her strength in the first game,
and the crowd's chants for Zhang affected me at the beginning," Pi said.
Also
this morning, Maria Kristin Yulianti from Indonesia beat Saina Nehwall from
India to become Zhang's opponent in the semifinals.
Zhang just lost to
Yulianti in the Indonesia Open in June. However, Zhang said today that she was
in good form and had the confidence to pay back.
Xinhua
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