China reach Thomas Cup final despite Lin defeat

JAKARTA (Reuters) - China defeated Malaysia 3-2 in the semi-finals of the men's Thomas Cup badminton tournament on Friday, despite a defeat for world champion Lin Dan, and will play South Korea in the final.

Korea beat Indonesia 3-0 in the other semi-final after engineering the quarter-final they wanted by fielding below-strength teams at the group stage this week.

China, seeking a third Thomas Cup title in a row and seventh in all, went 1-0 down in their semi-final when Lin was surprisingly beaten 21-12 21-14 by Lee Chong Wei.

They drew level in the first doubles and Bao Chunlai, ranked third in the world, put them 2-1 ahead with a 21-18 21-7 defeat of Wong Choong Hann.

After a defeat in the second doubles, China earned their place in Sunday's final when Chen Jin beat Muhammad Hafiz Hashim 21-12 21-16 in the final singles.

China's women, seeking a sixth Uber Cup crown in succession, will play hosts Indonesia in the final of that competition on Saturday.