Lee zeroes in on Lin showdown
AFP
September 26, 2014 16:10 MYT
September 26, 2014 16:10 MYT
Datuk Lee Chong Wei returns a shot against India's Parupalli Kashyap during their men's singles second round badminton match at the 2014 Asian Games in Incheon on September 26, 2014. - AFP Photo/Pornchai Kittiwongsakul
Badminton star Datuk Lee Chong Wei thrashed Commonwealth Games champion Parupalli Kashyap to move one match away from a likely showdown with his arch-rival Lin Dan on Friday.
Malaysia's world number one put on a masterclass against the Indian, thrashing him 21-12, 21-11 to reach the quarter-finals in Incheon, South Korea.
Lee will play either Vietnam's Nguyen Tien Minh or Mustofa Ihsan Maulana of Indonesia to set up an expected semi-final with Olympic champion Lin, often his nemesis in big events.
"I'm not thinking ahead to the semi-final -- tomorrow I have a quarter-final... and I'm focusing myself on that," said Lee, 31, who is making his final attempt to win Asian Games gold.
His world-class performance came despite intense homesickness for his wife and baby son during the long stint in Incheon.
"He's 17 months now but he can only say Mummy, not Daddy!" Lee said.
"Every day I FaceTime my son and my wife -- I still have 10 days here, I go back and then to Denmark and France again. I miss my wife, son and family," he added.