KEY POINTS:
New Zealander John Moody tonight received a lesson in the art of creative badminton, courtesy of the quick feet and quicker reactions of world No 4 Jin Chen in their men's singles Olympic match here.
In front of a 7000-strong parochial local crowd, Chen started slowly but once he hit his stride, Moody could do nothing to stem the onslaught and succumbed 21-9 21-11.
The Whangarei-born player, ranked 75th in the world, chased endlessly, but once Chen tightened his game with the scores tied 3-3 in the first set, there was no respite. Chen scored 11 unanswered before Moody could get back on the board.
A late rally in the first set saw Moody again keep pace with his illustrious opponent briefly before yielding to the inevitable 21-9.
It was more of the same in the second set, as Moody retrieved well but had no time to pressure Chen, who took the first seven points before Moody managed one.
The New Zealander delayed the inevitable only briefly and the agile Chinese player eased away for the win.
- NZPA
