Chen Jin made a good start to his bid to reach the world men's singles final for a second successive year on Tuesday - and then offered glimpses of life in the shadow of perhaps the greatest badminton player of all time.
The fourth seeded Chen lost the 2009 final in Hyderabad to his record-breaking Chinese compatriot Lin Dan, but began this year's campaign with a soundly taken 21-14, 21-14 win over Ville Lang, the world number 53 from Finland. "Overseas journalists are often asking 'when will he become number one in China?'" said Chen of himself, with a hint of humour.
There was little sign that this was a danger as he contained the eager Lang, who kept trying to press home attacks in the hot, fast conditions, and held up Chen's progress in the second game in an unusual way. Lang's shoe had started to split, and after Chen reached 11-6 with a sharp and nimble kill at the net, he decided to seek a replacement.
Meanwhile Lin Dan, who is expected to retire after the London Olympics in 2012, made a very comfortable start Monday and next plays Henri Hurskainen of Sweden. Lin should earn an intriguing third round meeting with Bao Chunlai, his tenth-seeded compatriot, who unexpectedly beat him in the quarter-finals of the All-England Open five months ago.