"I am looking forward for the matches. The best result for me is that I could meet another Chinese player in the final, which is also what the Chinese people want to see," said Bao, the bronze medalist in last year's World Badminton Championships and silver medalist in 2006.

    Bao's world ranking is behind teammate Lin Dan and Malaysian Lee Chong Wei. He is likely to meet Lee in the semifinals.

    Bao said the Chinese shuttlers have trained a lot in preparation for the Beijing Olympic Games and he personally was in good form.

    With 22 medals including eight golds, Chinese badminton players dominated the court since the sport entered the Olympiad at the 1992 Barcelona Games. The team outnumbered Indonesia and South Korea, both ranking the second in the gold tally, by three golds.

    China has so far yet to win a men's doubles gold.