INQUIRER Sports

BEIJING -- China's champions Cai Yun and Fu Haifeng thrashed Howard Bach and Bob Malaythong in the quarterfinals of the men's badminton doubles here Wednesday, shattering the Americans' Olympic dreams.

Bach and Malaythong, unseeded at these Games, were gunning for a medal after making history this week by becoming the first Americans to reach the last eight in Olympic badminton.

But the Chinese second seeds showed no mercy at the Beijing University of Technology gymnasium, racing to an 8-0 lead in the first game and not looking back, winning 21-9, 21-10 in just 29 minutes.

"Obviously they are world-class players and we expect nothing less, they stepped on the court and every open opportunity they had, they executed," said Bach, who reached the last 16 in Athens.

Although the USA duo was confident of winning, Bach conceded it was always going to be tough, with the Chinese virtually unbeatable at home.

"Obviously they're one of the hottest teams in China, arguably, like tennis [star] [Rafael] Nadal on a clay court, they rarely lose in China, so it will be interesting to see how they go," he said.

Bach, who emigrated from Vietnam when he was three, said he was especially disappointed that his father had been unable to get a visa and a flight in time to see him play in Beijing.

For the first time at this tournament, the vocal near-capacity Chinese crowd was given some competition, with a small contingent of American fans screaming "U-S-A, U-S-A."

The Chinese responded by booing the supporters on several occasions, and roaring their own chants of "Go China" and "Kill [the shot]."

"That's home town fans, I wouldn't call it bad sportsmanship that's just how the crowd is in any country," Bach said.

The Chinese duo now plays South Koreans Lee Jae-Jin and Hwang Ji-Man in the semi-finals.

Lee and Hwang, one of the surprise packages of the tournament, defeated Japan's Keita Masuda and Tadashi Ohtsuka in three sets 21-12, 18-21, 21-9.

The pair is South Korea's last hope for a medal after hot favorites, third seeds Jung Jae-Sung and Lee Yong-Dae, crashed out in their first match.

Lee and Hwang, ranked 13th in the world, sprung a surprise on the way to the quarters, defeating Malaysian veterans and fourth seeds Choong Tan Fook and Lee Wan Wah in a marathon match that finished late on Tuesday.