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China faces Indonesia in Sudirman Cup semis

Xinhua, May 15, 2015

• Favorite China will take on Indonesia at the Sudirman Cup badminton semifinals.

  Under-strength Denmark was within a whisker of upsetting Japan but faltered at the last minute.

  Indonesia joined Japan in the last four with a relatively easy 3-1 victory over Chinese Taipei.

  Saturday will see Indonesia challenge the host and Japan play against South Korea.

  Denmark, without its top men's doubles pair though, proved a tough rival for Japan, which had led 2-1 before the new Danish pair of Mads Pieler Kolding/Kim Astrup upset world No. 6 Hiroyuki Endo/Kenichi Hayakawa in straight sets.

  Japanese Misaki Matsutomo/Ayaka Takahashi, ranked first in the women's doubles, rallied from 18-19 in the deciding set, beating Denmark's

  Line Kjaersfeldt/Sara Thygesen 19-21, 21-7, 21-19.

  "I'm very proud of my team," Denmark coach Lars Uhre said to BWF website. "We were very brave. Two of our men were ill and one was injured. These girls haven't played together. They're young and inexperienced and yet we were so close."

  China is tipped to win its sixth straight Sudirman Cup and 10th overall, but Indonesia, the winner of the inaugural edition in 1989, is ambitious.

  "This is China's home venue, their spectators. But last time, in 2013, we almost beat them. Anything is s possible on the court," said Indonesia's doubles player Greysia Polii.

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