No. 2 seed in men's singles, Lee Chong Wei from Malaysia checked into the semifinals at the Beijing Olympics Thursday, crushing his "bogeyman" Sony Dwi Kuncoro from Indonesia 21-9, 21-11.
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Malaysian badminton player Lee Chong Wei, on August 11, 2008.
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It was a surprisingly easy win for the world second-ranked Lee who was downed by the Athens bronze medalist in the third round at the 2007 World Championships on home soil.
"Today I performed 100 percent," said Lee, regarded as the biggest threat to Chinese men's singles players. "Sony was a little bit nervous, while I took control of myself on the court."
Admitting that it was hard to play under pressure at the Olympics, Sony congratulated Lee for his better form.
"I try my best, but he is just better. I had my chances, but he had all the answers," said the 24-year-old Indonesian. "There was just something missing from my game today."
In the semifinal, Lee is to meet No. 3 seed Bao Chunlai from China or world No. 10 Lee Hyun Il from South Korea.
"It will be very tough, but I will try my best to reach the final," said the Malaysian hopeful.
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Indonesian badminton player Sony Dwi Kuncoro, on August 14, 2008. [Xinhua]
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