'Super Dan' advances to 1/4 final after beating old foe

LONDON - Lin Dan won a showdown that wasn't much of a show as he beat Taufik Hidayat 21-9, 21-12 in a last-16 matchup of Olympic badminton champions on Wednesday.

China's Lin Dan plays against Indonesia's Taufik Hidayat during their men's singles round of 16 badminton match during the London 2012 Olympic Games at the Wembley Arena August 1, 2012. [Photo/Agencies]

Lin advanced to the quarterfinals in his title defense, but he wasn't tested by the retiring Hidayat, the 2004 gold medallist.

The top-ranked Chinese star was much too fast, and Hidayat didn't help his cause with hesitant play at the net and no luck. In the end, the Indonesian great was smiling in resignation as his smashes landed just wide while Lin, who seemed to enjoy every net cord in his favor, watched his shots consistently hit the lines in his 10th straight win over Hidayat.

Lin awaited Sho Sasaki of Japan or Kevin Cordon of Guatemala.