China's badminton star Lin Dan began his quest to bag his first-ever Superseries final title Wednesday by dispatching compatriot Chen Long, while women's number one Wang Yihan lost to South Korea's Sung Ji Hyun. "Super" Dan, badminton's most decorated player, beat Chen 21-15, 19-21, 21-17 in a closely fought battle, with both shuttlers jittery at the last major event of the year.
"This was the first match of the tournament - neither of us were prepared to have to face a team-mate," Lin said of the Tuesday draw that pitted China's top two singles players against each other. "I made some mistakes in my attack and I felt my footwork was not right, so I was nervous. The first match is always the hardest."