World champion Lin Dan hopes to defend his title at the Yonex Open Japan and continue China's badminton dominance with less than a year to go before the Beijing Olympics. World No. 1 Lin defeated Indonesia's Sony Dwi Cuncoro in Kuala Lumpur last month to win his second consecutive men's singles title at the world championships. Lin, the tournament's top-seeded player, is also the two-time defending champion at the Yonex Open, which continues Wednesday at Tokyo's Metropolitan Gymnasium. "With the Beijing Olympics not too far away, it's not hard to motivate yourself," Lin said. "There are a lot of good players here, and all the tournaments from now to the Olympics are important."
