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Defending Thomas Cup champion China hitched a rollercoaster ride to arrive at its third consecutive Thomas Cup final after inching out Malaysia 3-2 in the 2008 Thomas Cup semi-finals in Jakarta. China dropped the first singles, clinched 2 consecutive points before dropping the second doubles and then claimed the deciding singles to storm into this Sunday’s final.

By Jan Lin, reporting live from Senayan Stadium, Jakarta. Photos: Badmintonphoto (live)

So the 16-year wait for the Thomas Cup is still not yet over for Malaysia, even as their world #2 Lee Chong Wei was the star of the day when he swept past world #1 Lin Dan (pictured top left) in comfortable straight games. Chong Wei’s sweet victory was not enough for Malaysia to crack the Great Wall of China this afternoon.

Hosts Indonesia cruised past Germany 3-1 to set up their fifth meeting against defending champion China in the 2008 Uber Cup final. The 2 badminton powerhouses have a 2-2 record against each other in the Uber Cup final: China won the tie twice, in 1986 and 1998, while Indonesia beat China to the Cup in 1994 and 1996 with Indonesia’s queen of badminton Susi Susanti (pictured top left) spearheading the attack.

By Jan Lin, reporting live from Senayan Stadium, Jakarta. Photos: Badmintonphoto (live)

Indonesia is by far the only country that has ever stopped China in its quest for Uber glory and has done it not just once but twice. On Thursday, the Indonesian ladies dropped their first singles game to Germany’s Xu Huaiwen but swept the next 3 points in comfortable victories.

By Jan Lin, reporting live from Senayan Stadium, Jakarta. Photos: Badmintonphoto (live)

Despite suffering an upset the previous night, China kept its faith in singles ace Xie Xingfang (pictured top left) to lead the Chinese contingent in the 2008 Thomas and Uber Cup semi-finals. Xie lived up to her world number 1 billing to brush past Korea’s first singles of the evening, Hwang Hye-Youn, in straight games 21-9, 21-19.

Denmark, which was crowned double champion at the 2008 TUC European qualifiers earlier this year, suffered a double elimination in the quarter-finals of the 2005 Thomas and Uber Cup finals in Jakarta yesterday evening. It was a dark D-day for the Danes who had lost their Danish ladies to the Germans in the afternoon. The Danish men fell to Cup-hungry Korea later in the evening in a sudden death fashion when Shon Seung Mo clinched the deciding 3rd singles to put Korea 3-2 through.

By Jan Lin, reporting live from Senayan Stadium, Jakarta. Photos: badmintonphoto (live)

Korea had come to Jakarta wanting to play and eliminate Denmark en route to the semi-finals. South Korean team manager Kim Jung Soo declared on day one that they had arrived at the finals with a strategy to see off Denmark in the quarters, Indonesia in the semis and eventually, China in the final.