Sports

China’s Lin Dan claims victory over Indonesia’s Jonatan Christie, clinches NZ Open crown

Kuala Lumpur

China’s Lin Dan showed he’s shaping up well for the Thomas Cup Finals after winning the New Zealand Open in style.

The five-time world champion took 52 minutes to beat Indonesia’s Jonatan Christie 21-14, 21-19 in the men’s singles final in Auckland yesterday.

The Finals will be in Bangkok, Thailand, from May 20-27 and world No. 10 Lin Dan will be playing in the third singles – making him one of the strongest players at third position in the world’s premier team competition.

The other singles players for China are world No. 4 Chen Long and world No. 5 Shi Yuqi.