Lin draws first blood in grudge series

DOHA, Dec 2 (Reuters) China's world number one Lin Dan drew first blood in his Asian Games rivalry with badminton 'bad boy' Taufik Hidayat today, beating the Indonesian 2-1 in the men's team singles.

Hidayat, who was docked ranking points and prize money after storming out mid-match against Lin in August, stoked the flames of their already simmering rivalry before the Games even started by describing Lin as ''arrogant''.

Athens Olympic champion Hidayat's form has dipped since that explosive episode in Hong Kong but the 25-year-old looked back to his best today, pushing Lin all the way before losing 21-17 17-21 21-16.

Lin's main weapon was a devastating smash, which kept the wily Hidayat on the back foot and silenced the raucous Indonesian crowd.

REUTERS AY BD1932