Rio 2016: Chong Wei to face arch rival Lin Dan in semifinals

Datuk Lee Chong Wei will take on his nemesis Lin Dan in the semifinals of the Rio Olympics men's singles semifinal after disposing Taiwan's Chow Tien Chen in straight sets at the Pavilion 4, Riocentro here Wednesday.

Building up the momentum for a bid for the gold medal here, Chong Wei kept a clean record of 5-0 head-to-head counts against Tien Chen with an easy 21-9, 21-15 victory in 40 minutes.

However, Lin Dan, the Chinese two-time gold medallist, was given a scare by promising Indian star K. Srikanth who drilled the defending champion up to the rubber set.

Lin Dan picked the first set 21-6 but went through trying moments in the next two when Srikanth pulled level with a 21-11 win to force the game into a deciding set.

In the decider, Lin Dan had to struggle point for point before racing to 19-17 lead in the later stages of the match before sealing a 21-18 victory and book a berth in Friday's semifinals.

Based on Lin Dan's match, the Chinese super star will not have an easy match against Chong Wei who is bent on taking the title away from him.

"I have to focus on my game here and there is pressure within me as this is my final call. I have to handle the pressure within me to emulate the men's doubles and mix doubles pairs who are in the final," said the two-time Olympic Games silver medalist.

In the 2008 Beijing Olympics and 2012 London Olympics, Chong Wei lost to Lin Dan in the final and has yet to win the title in his fourth and final appearance here.