Indonesian Liliyana Natsir and Nova Widianto, the world's No. 1 badminton mixed doubles players, advanced into the finals at the Beijing Olympic Games?in Beijing?on Saturday.
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He Hanbin and Yu Yang (back) of China compete against Liliyana and Nova Widianto of Indonesia at the mixed doubles semifinal during the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games badminton event, in Beijing, China, Aug. 16, 2008. Liliyana and Nova Widianto won the match 2-1.[Xinhua] |
They beat He Hanbin and Yu Yang from China in a lengthy match at 15-21, 21-11, 23-21.
Widianto showcased his precise decisions and artful drops, winning crucial points after it stood at 20-20 in the third game.
"I made quite a few mistakes in the first game, but Witianto gave me confidence in the second one," said Liliyana after the match.
Widianto said he could not get out of the pressure during the match, and he told reporters "I must be very calm in the final." The 31-year-old said he will consider playing in the London Games if he retains the top ranking in the next few years.
He Hanbin lost his confidence and made the only service fault of the match when the third game was 21-21, which was enough to send the Chinese duo into failure.
He's partner Yu Yang, who won the women's doubles gold on Friday evening, said she was impatient and did do well in crucial rallies. "I will try to stay calm in my future matches."
(Xinhua News Agency August 16, 2008)