JAKARTA, Aug. 21 (Xinhua) -- Chinese women's badminton team had reasons to feel relieved after revenging Thailand in straight sets in the 18th Asian Games team semifinals here on Tuesday.
China lost to Thailand 3-2 in the Uber Cup semifinals late in May, missing the tournament final for the first time in 34 years since its debut, while refusing to relive that anguish in Jakarta.
In a rematch against Ratchanok Intanon, China's top singles player Chen Yufei stormed to a 9-1 lead, and cruised to her 21-14 victory in the opening game.
Then Intanon regrouped herself in the following game to force her way back 21-17.
Facing a similar situation like the Uber Cup, which saw Intanon bounce back from the first-game loss en route to victory, Chen withstood early-game tussle to build an 11-7 lead at changeover. Despite losing five straight points after leading by 17-12, Chen stood firm under pressure to seal a 21-17 win through a slew of errors from her opponent.
Chen reckoned that the victory could boost confidence of teammates and her own.
"I had trust in my teammates and myself. I just have tried my best in the match," she pointed out.
"At the beginning, I could not follow her speed. I could not defend. When she formed top swings, I didn't know where to go," said Intanon.
"The second game I tried to be more prepared and concentrated, so I could come back. But in the third game she did better than me," she added.
Chen Qingchen and Jia Yifan also overcame stiff resistance to beat Jongkolphan Kititharakul/Rawinda Prajongjai and extend China's overall lead.
Chen and Jia, the former world No. 1 pair, snatched the win of 22-20 in a topsy-turvy first game, before being forced into the decider by their Thai opponents 21-16.
The Chinese duo took charge from the outset of the third game, and bagged the victory of 21-14 from their five-point mid-game lead.
He Bingjiao, who had not featured in China's squad in the Uber Cup semifinals, fought past Nitchaon Jindapol 21-17, 21-12.
"Everyone in the team was fully prepared for the next encounter between both sides after the Uber Cup. It's not just about myself," admitted He, adding that she was touched by her teammates' momentum in the match.
Despite Yamaguchi Akane's loss to Gregoria Mariska Tunjung in the first set, top-seeded Japan managed to find a way past hosts Indonesia 3-1 in the other semifinal.
China, in quest of its sixth straight Asian Games gold medal, will take on Japan in Wednesday's final.
