Badminton mixed doubles Zhang Nan/Zhao Yunlei won, and the couple was crowned champion (picture)

Badminton mixed doubles Zhang Nan/Zhao Yunlei won, and the couple was crowned champion (picture) On August 3, in the badminton mixed doubles final of the 2012 London Olympics...

On August 3, in the badminton mixed doubles final of the 2012 London Olympics, Chinese players Zhang Nan/Zhao Yunlei defeated compatriots Xu Chen/Ma Jin and won the gold medal.

The top seeds Zhang Nan/Zhao Yunlei won three consecutive games in the group stage. In the quarter-finals, they defeated the 2009 World Championship champions, the Danish pair Reborn/Wright. In the semi-finals, they faced another Danish pair Nelson/Pedersen. They lost one game and then won two consecutive games. The second seeds Xu Chen/Ma Jin also won three consecutive victories in the group stage and won the first place in the group. In the quarter-finals, they faced the Polish combination Mateusziak/Ziba. Xu Chen/Ma Jin fought hard for three games before coming back to win. In the semi-finals, they faced the Indonesian combination Ahmed/Nasir. Xu Chen/Ma Jin came back to win the game again and met Zhang Nan/Zhao Yunlei in the final.

In the first game, Zhang Nan/Zhao Yunlei quickly gained the upper hand. Xu Chen/Ma Jin were obviously out of shape. Zhang Nan/Zhao Yunlei quickly took the initiative and widened the point difference while their teammates were not yet on a firm footing. Xu Chen/Ma Jin couldn't keep up with the rhythm, but Zhang Nan/Zhao Yunlei made great progress, and their performance on the court was obviously better. They easily took the lead 21-11 in only 18 minutes.

In the second game, Zhang Nan/Zhao Yunlei were still full of momentum and continued their heroic performance in the first game. They scored 8 points in a row at the beginning and completely stunned Xu Chen/Ma Jin. Trailing 0-8, Xu Chen/Ma Jincai finally let go and actively grabbed the net and rushed forward. Although they failed to narrow the point difference quickly, at least a balance of power gradually formed on the court. Zhang Nan/Zhao Yunlei still led 11-6 during the timeout.

After the timeout, Zhang Nan/Zhao Yunlei regained control of the situation. Xu Chen/Ma Jin made more mistakes. Zhang Nan/Zhao Yunlei cooperated more tacitly and used reasonable tactics. Xu Chen/Ma Jin fell into passivity again. In the middle game, Zhang Nan/Zhao Yunlei expanded their advantage. Whether it was controlling the first half or mobilizing in the second half, Zhang Nan/Zhao Yunlei always dominated the situation and further took the initiative.

However, with an obvious score disadvantage, Xu Chen/Ma Jincai finally mustered up their fighting spirit and continued to chase points. After a wave of scoring climax, they once chased the score to 12-16. At the critical moment, Xu Chen/Ma Jin made consecutive mistakes and wasted the opportunity to further narrow the point difference. At the end of the game, Zhang Nan/Zhao Yunlei took back the initiative and stabilized the situation in time. However, Xu Chen/Ma Jin were still very tenacious and once approached the score to 17-19. Zhao Yunlei won the match point with a light wave in front of the net. Zhang Nan hit the ball from the backcourt. Zhang Nan/Zhao Yunlei won 21-17, defeating Xu Chen/Ma Jin in straight games and won the mixed doubles championship.