World number one Lin Dan used a selective net attack and a barrage of smashes to overpower Shoji Sato in the third round of the badminton world championships here on Thursday.
The 21-year-old Lin needed one hour, three minutes to defeat Sato and set up a quarter-final clash in men's singles with South Korea's Lee Hyun Ii Lin said he started to feel some of the pressure of being the top seed in the second game, but battled through and figured out a way to beat Japan's Sato.
In one stellar stretch at the end of the first game, Lin registered four consecutive points to go up one game to zero.
He stumbled in the second game, losing 15-9, before re-grouping to easily win the third 15-5. Sato was able to dictate the pace in the second game but couldn't sustain it over a full match.
The quarter-finals will feature seven of the top eight seeds in the men's draw.
Lin moves on to battle 13th seeded Lee, who upset No 8 Mohammad Hafiz Hashim of Malaysia 15-11, 15-5.
Second seed Kenneth Jonassen of Denmark overpowered England's last surviving men's hope Aamir Ghaffer 15-2, 15-4. Other top men's seed to advance to the quarter-finals were Denmark third seed Peter Gade, fourth seed Bao Chunlai of China, Malaysian number five Lee Chong Wei, sixth seed Taufik Hidayat of Indonesia and China's number seven Chen Hong, who beat Hong Kong ninth seed Ng Wei 15-7, 14-17, 15-3.
Lin and Lee have meet five times previously with Lin winning the last two matches. He defeated Lee earlier this year in the quarters of the All-England Open 15-10, 13-15, 15-8. Lee, who beat Lin to win the 2003 German Open, said he is looking forward to the challenge.
Both top women's seeds from China survived third-round scares before rallying to beat their opponents on Thursday. Reigning Olympic and world champion Zhang Ning advanced to the quarter-finals by defeating Hong Kong 18-year-old Yip Pui-yin 4-11, 11-3, 11-4.
Zhang's biggest rival is Lin's girlfriend and second seed Xie Xingfang, who had to outlast Indonesian-born Dutch Mia Audina Tjiptawan. Xie, 24, beat the Olympic silver medallist 11-4, 11-13, 11-8 to reach the quarter-finals. Top seeded Zhang needed 35 minutes to dispatch the Yip and move on to face 12th-seeded Kaori Mori of Japan.
Yip, who is ranked 77th in the world, jumped out to a surprising 8-1 lead in the first game before yielding three points to Zhang and eventually winning 11-4.
After losing the first game, China's Zhang started to show the form that won her a gold in Athens as she won eight consecutive points to seize control.
Zhang cruised in the third game taking a quick 8-4 lead before closing it out. Zhang blamed the wind on the courts for her first-game demise.
Zhang said Yip has a good future ahead of her. It was the first meeting between Audina Tjiptawan, one of the few shuttlers to have won Olympic medals with two different nations, and Xie, who next plays English seventh seed Tracey Hallam.
Fifth-seeded Yao Jie of China became the second top women's singles player to be upset as she lost 11-3, 11-13, 11-6 to Japan's Mori.
Yao's exit follows eighth seed Zhou Mi's shocking first-round loss to unseeded Juliane Schenk of Germany. Schenk's impressive run in Anaheim ended Thursday when she lost to Taiwan's Cheng Shao-Chieh.
In men's doubles, top seeds Martin Lundgaard Hansen and Jens Eriksen of Denmark beat the Hong Kong duo of Liu Kwok-wa and Albertus Susanto Njoto 15-3, 15-0 to reach the quarter-finals.
In women's doubles, China's Yang Wei and Zhang Jiewen, the first seeds, rolled over England's Gail Emms and Donna Kellogg 15-7, 15-10, advancing to the semi-finals.
COLLATED RESULTS
(x denotes seed):
MEN'S SINGLES (THIRD ROUND): Lin Dan (CHN x1) bt Shoji Sato (JPN) 15-8, 9-15, 15-5; Kenneth Jonassen (Den x2) bt Aamir Ghaffer (ENG) 15-2, 15-4; Peter Gade (DEN) bt Sony Dwi Kuncoro (INA) 15-11, 15-10; Bao Chunlai (CHN x4) bt Wong Choong Hann (MAS x10) 15-6, 15-12; Lee Chong Wei (MAS x5) bt Bjoern Joppien (GER x16) 15-4, 15-3; Taufik Hidayat (INA x6) bt Boonsak Ponsana (THA x11) 15-9, 15-17, 15-10; Chen Hong (CHN x7) bt Ng Wei (HKG x9) 15-7, 14-17, 15-3; Lee Hyun Ii (KOR x13) bt Mohammad Hafiz Hashim (MAS x8) 15-11, 15-5.
WOMEN'S SINGLES (THIRD ROUND): Zhang Ning (CHN x1) bt Yip Pui-yin (HKG) 4-11, 11-3, 11-4; Xie Xingfang (CHN x2) bt Mia Audina Tjiptawan (NED x13) 11-4, 11-13, 11-8; Pi Hongyan (FRA x3) bt Li Li (SIN x16) 13-12, 11-8; Wang Chen (HKG x4) bt Eriko Hirose (JPN x9) 11-1, 11-0; Kaori Mori (JPN x12) bt Yao Jie (NED x5) 11-3, 11-13, 11-8; Xu Huaiwen (GER x6) bt Salakjit Ponsana (THA x14) 11-5, 13-12; Tracey Hallam (ENG x7) bt Rebecca Bellingham (NZL) 11-7, 13-10; Cheng Shao-Chieh (TPE) bt Juliane Schenk (GER) 11-3, 11-8.
MEN'S DOUBLES (THIRD ROUND): Jens Eriksen/Martin Lundgaard Hansen (DEN x1) bt Thomas Laybourn/Peter Steffensen (DEN x11) 15-4, 15-4; Candra Wijaya/Sigit Budiarto (INA x2) bt Mohammad Fairuzizuan Tazari/Lin Woon Fui (MAS x12) 15-7, 15-10; Chan Chong Ming/Koo Kien Keat (MAS x8) bt Fu Haifeng/Cai Yun (CHN x3) 11-15 15-4 15-8; Luluk Hadiyanto/Yulianto Alven (INA x4) bt Tan Bin Shen/Ong Soon Hock (MAS x14) 15-9, 10-15, 15-5; Lars Paaske/Jonas Rasmussen (DEN x5) bt Liu Kwok-wa/Albertus Susanto Njoto (HKG x15) 15-3, 15-0; Flandi Limpele/Eng Hian (INA x10) bt Mathias Boe/Carsten Mogensen (DEN x6) 15-12, 15-7; Jung Jae Sung/Lee Jae Jin (KOR x7) bt Michal Logosz/Robert Mateusiak (POL x16) 17-15, 15-7; Tony Gunawan/Howard Bach (USA x13) bt Chew Choon Eng/Choong Tan Fook (MAS x8) 15-10, 15-11.
WOMEN'S DOUBLES (QUARTER-FINALS): Yang Wei/Zhang Jiewen (CHN x1) bt Gail Emms/Donna Kellogg (ENG x8) 15-7, 15-10; Gao Ling/Huang Sui (CHN x2) bt Saralee Thungthongkam/Sathinee Chankrachangwong (THA x6) 15-3, 15-4; Zhang Dan/Zhang Yawen (CHN x5) bt Wei Yili/Zhao Tingting (CHN x3) 15-8, 15-9; Lee Kyung Won/Lee Hyo Jung (KOR x4) bt Wong Pei Tty/Chin Eei Hui (MAS x7) 15-6, 15-5.Mixed doubles (Third Round): Zhang Jun/Gao Ling (CHN x2) bt Koo Kien Keat/Wong Pei Tty (MAS x10) 15-11, 15-6; Chen Qiqiu/Zhao Tingting (CHN x3) bt Kennevic Asuncion/Kennie Asuncion (PHI) 15-7, 15-5; Nova Widianto/Lilyana Natsir (INA x4) bt Thomas Laybourn/Kamilla Rytter Juhl (DEN x9) 15-12 15-12 Xie Zhongbo/Zhang Yawen (CHN x11) bt Jens Eriksen/Mette Schjoldager (DEN x5) 7-15, 15-10, 15-7Lee Jae Jin/Lee Hyo Jung (KOR x6) bt Anthony Clark/Donna Kellogg (ENG x13) 15-8, 15-10 Sudket Prapakamol/Saralee Thungthongkam (THA x7) bt Hendry Kurniawan Saputra/Li Yujia (SIN x12) 17-14, 15-7; Frederik Bergstrom/Johanna Persson (SWE x14) bt Robert Blair/Natalie Munt (ENG x8) walkover Daniel A Shirley/Sara Runesten-Petersen (NZL x15) bt Songpol Anukritayawan/Kulchala Worawichitchaikul (THA) 15-4, 15-8.