World number ones Lin Dan and Zhang Ning spearheaded China's quarter-final victories at the Thomas and Uber Cup Badminton Championships here on Wednesday.

Lin needed some time before getting used to the lights and the draught caused by the air conditioner but went on to beat Andrew Smith 18-21,21-12,21-12 in the opening match of China's 3-0 win over England in the men's event. Cai Yun and Fu Haifeng put China two up by beating Kristian Roebuck and Ian Palethorpe 21-14,21-12. Bao Chunlai's 21-12,21-15 win over Nicholas Kidd secured the best-of-five Thomas Cup quarter-final tie.

Athens Olympic gold medallist Zhang beat Li Li 21-18,21-18 before Jiang Yanjiao and the pairing of Gao Ling and Huang Sui secured China's 3-0 victory over Singapore in their women's Uber Cup quarter-final clash. In the 21-point system,there are some unexpected points you lose.

"I made some errors when I was leading in the first game,and it was my first match at this gymnasium,said Lin. But I was able to play in my own rhythm in the second and third games after I got used to the lights and wind. "

Zhang,who needed 114 minutes to beat Li,struggled to find her rhythm.

"Although I won,I'm not satisfied with my play at all,I should have won it by a bigger points differential. I was not speedy today," said Zhang.

The lights and wind here are not good for badminton,but it's the same for both players. It's a question of which player can get used to the conditions quicker,she added. In the semi-finals Friday,the Chinese men will take on 13-time champions Indonesia,the winners over hosts Japan 3-1 Japan's three-time national champion Shoji Sato caused the biggest upset by downing world and Athens Olympics champion Taufik Hidayat 20-22,21-16,24-23 in the opener,thrilling a sellout partisan crowd of 10,000. It was a surprise for me.

"I felt I was still playing at the moment I won. I understood I did it when I saw the spectators' reaction,said a jubilant Sato. I was a challenger and it didn't affect my play although I lost the first game. I played patiently and didn't make many mistakes. That's the key to the victory. "

Hidayat said: "It was tough. My physical condition is the worst among my teammates. When I lost the second game,I felt I would lose. I started feeling my body heavy in the third game. "

"It's impossible to recover during the Thomas Cup. I'm going to work hard after going back home. But I believe my teammates will beat Japan," added Hidayat,playing his first tournament in six weeks due to an injury layoff.

As Hidayat expected,Luluk Hadiyanto and Yulianto Alven,Soni Dwi Kuncoro,and Markis Kidho and Hendra Setiawan came to the rescue of their side. Seven-time silver medallists Denmark reached the semi-finals with Peter Gade,Kenneth Jonassen and world number one duo of Jens Eriksen and Martin Lundgaard Hansen scoring an unbeatable 3-0 win over India.

The Chinese women,looking forward to their fifth straight and 10th overall Uber Cup,will play Germany,the winners over Hong Kong 3-2.

Asian champion Wang Chen shocked European champion Xu Huaiwen 7-21,21-15,21-12 and added a doubles win for Hong Kong. But Nicole Grether and Juliane Schenk clinched the decider 21-10,21-9 against Chau hoi-wah and Wong Man-ching.

(Chinadaily.com May 4,2006)