Sun seeking to eclipse powerful Danes

COPENHAGEN, MAY 21: Sun Jun, the only Chinese player left in the men's singles as the World Badminton Championships enter the quarter-fin...

COPENHAGEN, MAY 21: Sun Jun, the only Chinese player left in the men8217;s singles as the World Badminton Championships enter the quarter-final stages, has revealed all the planning that has gone into his 1999 title challenge.

Second seed Sun, who lost a crippling two-hour marathon final with Denmark8217;s Peter Rasmussen in Glasgow two years ago, meets Thomas Stuer-Lauridsen late today, with a bronze medal the least that the winner will pick up.

But he wants to become the first Chinese player to win the title since Zhao Jianhua in 1991.

Stuer-Lauridsen is one of five Danes in the last eight. Four of them made it to the last eight in 1997 and Kenneth Jonassen now joins Stuer-Lauridsen, defending champion Rasmussen, world number one and top seed Peter Gade, and Olympic champion Poul-Erik Hoyer-Larsen.

Once again Sun, 24, is the only Chinese player among them.

After his 7-15 15-6 15-6 win over Indonesian teenager Taufik Hidayat yesterday, sun said: 8220;I have been preparing for the last two months for these Championships to make sure I am in perfect condition.8221;

He needed no reminding of the cramp which brought about his downfall in the Glasgow final two years ago. 8220;Of course I will never forget that match,8221; he said. 8220;Who could? But it doesn8217;t help me to think about it. The only thing that helps is to think how i can prepare better for such contests.8221; That same careful preparation went into the match with Hidayat as Sun explained: 8220;Taufik is good at counter-attacking. He is so strong and quick.

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He was very deceptive in that first set and he surprised me. But he got tired because he had been so aggressive. In the end I was just playing with him in the final set.8221;

With that kind of calculated assessment sun can expect to be on the podium on Sunday 8212; just over a week after standing in the same spot with China after victory in the Sudirman Cup mixed team championship.

Victory for Sun would help set aside the big Chinese disappointment of the opening day when women8217;s singles champion Ye Zhaoying was knocked out in the first round by unseeded Kelly Morgan of Wales, the Commonwealth title-holder.

Meanwhile, host nation Denmark could hardly wait for the clash late today of defending champion Rasmussen and top seed Gade, a dream badminton contest if ever there was one.