Chinese players and pairs are
7-6 after one day of play at the China Masters Super Series in Changzhou, Jiangsu province. Olympian Bao Chunlai, along with Chen Jin, Li Yu and Gong Weijie, Qiu Yanbo, Chen Yiu and Wang Yihan all won on a day where three of the matches pitted Chinese players against each other. Bao took three sets to beat Boonsak Ponsana of Thailand, and joked that his new haircut might have clinched him the win. "Perhaps he felt uncomfortable with my new hair, so he lost the game," Bao said, according to
a press release from tournament organizers. Bao is sporting a shaved head for the tournament. He is China's biggest star playing in this event; gold medalists Lin Dan (men) and Xie Xingfang (women) are not competing.
Women's doubles and mixed doubles play starts Thursday and the tournament runs through September 28. The tournament is sponsored by Chinese sports apparel brand Li-Ning.
Image:
2008 Li-Ning China Masters
Tags:
badminton,
Bao Chunlai,
Changzhou,
Jiangsu
