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Journalism of Courage
Japan8217;s Miyuki Maeda and Satoko Suetsuna upset defending Olympic champions Yang Wei and Zhang Jiewen of China on Thursday to advance to the women8217;s doubles semifinals in Olympic badminton.
The unseeded duo Maeda and Suetsuna took advantage of unforced errors by the top-seeded Chinese pair en route to an 8-21, 23-21, 21-14 win at Beijing University of Technology Gymnasium.
After they won, both Maeda and Suetsuna bowed deeply in the center of the court.
8220;This is the biggest win of our lives,8221; Suetsuna said.
8220;They are the Olympic champions so even when we had match point we couldn8217;t take anything for granted.8221;
It was the first major setback of the tournament for the host nation, which is looking to dominate on home soil after winning three of five gold medals in Athens.
8220;We couldn8217;t focus in the third set,8221; said Yang. 8220;We just made too many unforced errors.8221;
Japan8217;s Kumiko Ogura and Reiko Shiota, scheduled to play later on Thursday, are sixth in the world rankings and very popular in Japan.
Few had expected such a strong showing from Maeda and Suetsuna, who are eighth in the rankings.
Earlier, Malaysia8217;s Lee Chong Wei defeated Singapore8217;s Ronald Susilo in the second round of men8217;s singles.
Second-seeded Lee, who is bidding for Malaysia8217;s first Olympic gold medal, downed Susilo 21-13, 21-14.
8220;I was nervous at first but got more confidence as the game went on,8221; said Lee, a favorite to win the tournament.
8220;There is a lot of pressure on me here to get a medal.8221;
Susilo upset Lin in the first round four years ago in Athens but was no match for Lee8217;s powerful smashes on Thursday.
Top-seeded Lin Dan of China will play his first match later on Thursday, taking on unseeded Ng Wei of Hong Kong.
South Korea8217;s Lee Hyun-il defeated fifth-seeded Kenneth Jonassen 15-21, 21-14, 21-19 while third-seeded Bao Chunlai of China defeated Guatemala8217;s Kevin Gordon 21-17, 21-16.
Indonesia8217;s Sony Dwi Kuncoro, who is seeded sixth, defeated Boonsak Ponsana of Thailand 21-16, 21-14.
In women8217;s singles, Indonesia8217;s unseeded Kristen Maria Yulianti upset sixth-seeded Tine Rasmussen of Denmark 18-21, 21-19, 21-14 to advance to the quarterfinals.
8220;I was a little nervous but it8217;s the Olympics and everyone has to deal with that,8221; said Rasmussen. 8220;I didn8217;t play my best today and she took advantage.8221;
Defending Olympic champion and second-seeded Zhang Ning of China also advanced with a 21-11, 21-12 win over South Korea8217;s Jun Jae-youn. Fifth-seeded Pi Hongyan of France got past Japan8217;s Eriko Hirose 21-12, 16-21, 21-6.
