China's Lin faces tough draw in worlds

Lin Dan of China plays a shot during the men's badminton singles final match against Lee Chong Wei of Malaysia during the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games in this August 17, 2008 file photo.

NEW DELHI (Reuters) - Chinese world and Olympic champion Lin Dan and Malaysian world number one Lee Chong Wei head a tough top half of the men's singles draw for the world championships in Hyderabad from Aug. 10 to 16.

Fifth seed Lin should meet tricky compatriot and 11th seed Bao Chunlai in the third round while Danish veteran Peter Gade also lurks in the top section of the 64-player field.

Indonesian former Olympic and world champion Taufik Hidayat, the fourth seed, and Chinese second seed Chen Jin should clash in the semi-final if rankings hold good in the lower half.

"The top half looks really tough with Lee and Lin both there, with Lin versus Bao in the third round," former All-England champion Pullela Gopichand said at the draw ceremony held in New Delhi on Tuesday.

"The top half is tougher in the women's singles also, it has one good player too many," he added.

World number one Zhou Mi of Hong Kong and Chinese world number two Wang Lin Wang head the women's field.