International stars took control at day three of the New Zealand Badminton Open, as the remaining Kiwi contenders bowed out heading into Friday's quarterfinals.
Tournament drawcard Lin Dan of China showed his class again but the world number seven and two-time Olympic gold medalist needed all his 18 years' experience on tour to defeat 16-year-old Indian world number 108 Lakshya Sen in three games in the men's singles.
The young Indian prospect took the opening game, but in the process woke the giant, with Lin finding his range to power to the win 21-12 in the third.
"My opponent played very well today, he was 18 years younger than me, so today I wanted to prove I can beat the next generation of younger players. Today I showed that I have the determination to fight and win," said Lin.
"I did have the lead in the first game, but he went on to win. For me it was changing my mentality in the second and third games in order to succeed in what was a tough match."
