Hidayat walks out on Lin Dan in Hong Kong

BEIJING, Sept 1 (Reuters) World and Olympic champion Taufik Hidayat stormed out of his Hong Kong Open quarter-final against world number two Lin Dan after just three minutes, local media reported today.

The Indonesian was upset by a controversial line call in the fifth point of yesterday's clash and after unsuccessfully appealing to the umpire to reverse the decision, he walked off, a report in the South China Morning Post said.

''I'm surprised about his decision because it's quite common to see wrong calls in competitions,'' Lin, the defending champion, told the paper.

Hidayat beat Lin to add the world title to his 2004 Athens Olympic gold in California last year but was well beaten by the Chinese player when they met in the Thomas Cup in May while he was struggling with a back injury.

''I just think it's regrettable that we can't play against each other,'' Lin added. ''We haven't had many chances to meet in competitions.'' Considered by many to be among the most naturally gifted players of his generation, Hidayat can also be incredibly inconsistent and is currently ranked 35th in the world.

Top seed Lin was awarded the match and will play Denmark's Kenneth Jonassen for a place in Saturday's final against either compatriot Chen Jin or world number one Lee Chong Wei of Malaysia.

REUTERS DH BST1002