KUALA LUMPUR: The much-anticipated clash between world No 3 Lee Zii Jia and world No 1 Viktor Axelsen at the Denmark Open is not happening after all.
Instead, Asian champion Zii Jia will square off with his childhood rival and last year's world champion Loh Kean Yew of Singapore in the semi-finals today in Odense for what is their third clash of the year.
On Friday, Zii Jia showed that he was back in the groove after staving off a fierce challenge from Indonesia's Jonatan Christie to prevail 21-16, 18-21, 21-18, while Kean Yew sensationally stunned the man of-the-moment Axelsen in a jaw-dropping 21-17, 21-10 win.
"I was most happy about controlling my emotions and patience," Zii Jia told BWF after his match.
"I struggled in the second game, made a lot of errors to the backline and the same happened at the start of the third game, until the interval. The difference between the second and third games was me being patience.
"The semi-final will be tough. I don't care who's on the other side of the net, I just want to do my best."
As for Kean Yew, he ended not only Axelsen's hopes of becoming the first Dane to retain the home Open title since Poul-Erik Hoyer Larsen in 1999, but also put an end to his good friend's 39-match winning run.
Kean Yew is only the second player to beat the reigning Olympic and world champion this year after Lakhsya Sen of India.
"Beating Viktor now is an achievement in itself because he is on another level. But nobody wins all the time, and he is also human, and a respectable one too," Kean Yew told Singapore's The Straits Times.
Next, Kean Yew will be hoping to be third-time lucky against Zii Jia after losing in their previous encounters at the Asia Team Championships in February and the Indonesia Open (quarter-finals) in June.
"The tournament is not over so I got to stay focused throughout," he said.
"Viktor is Viktor, and Zii Jia is Zii Jia. Every player has different strengths and characteristics so I'm just going to go out there and do my best in the next match."
The other men's singles semi-final will see a rejuvenated Chinese star Shi Yu Qi take on Kodai Naraoka of Japan.
Yu Qi defeated Chou Tien Chen of Taiwan 25-23, 21-12 while Naraoka upset Lakhsya 21-17, 21-12.
For once after a very long time, Malaysian fans will have plenty to look forward to on the penultimate day of a World Tour tournament after Ong Yew Sin-Teo Ee Yi joined the party in the men's doubles.
The World Championships bronze medallists defeated Lee Yang-Lu Chen of Taiwan 18-21, 21-19, 21-13 to make it two Malaysian pairs in the last four after Aaron Chia-Soh Wooi Yik had qualified earlier in the day.
Yew Sin-Ee Yi, however, must find a winning formula against their next rivals Fajar Alfian-Muhammad Rian Ardianto, whom they have lost to in all three meetings to date this year.
Aaron-Wooi Yik will face Kevin Sanjaya Sukamuljo-Marcus Fernaldi Gideon in another mouth-watering clash.
RESULTS Q-FINALS
Men's singles: Loh Kean Yew (Sin) bt Viktor Axelsen (Den) 21-17, 21-10; Lee Zii Jia (Mas) bt Jonatan Christie (Ina) 21-16, 18-21, 21-18; Shi Yu Qi (Chn) bt Chou Tien Chen (Tai) 25-23, 21-12; Kodai Naraoka (Jpn) bt Lakhsya Sen (Ind) 21-17, 21-12;
Women's singles: He Bing Jiao (Chn) bt Akane Yamaguchi (Jpn) 14-21, 21-19, 21-11; Han Yue (Chn) bt Pai Yu Po (Tai) 21-17, 16-21, 21-16, Chen Yu Fei (Chn) bt Pornpawee Chochuwong (Tha) 21-17, 21-19, Ratchanok Intanon (Tha) bt Tai Tzu Ying (Tai) 10-21, 22-20, 21-16;
Men's doubles: Ong Yew Sin-Teo Ee Yi (Mas) bt Lee Yang-Lu Chen (Tai) 18-21, 21-19, 21-13; Fajar Alfian-Muhammad Rian Ardianto (Ina) bt Lu Ching Yao-Yang Po Han (Tai) 21-12, 21-15; Aaron Chia-Soh Wooi Yik (Mas) bt Satwiksairaj Rankireddy-Chirag Shetty (Ind) 21-16, 21-19; Marcus Fernaldi Gideon-Kevin Sanjaya Sukamuljo (Ina) bt Leo Rolly Carnando-Daniel Marthin (Ina) 15-21, 22-20, 22-20;
Women's doubles: Chen Qing Chen-Jia Yi Fan (Chn) bt Zhang Shu Xian-Zheng Yu (Chn) 21-15, 22-20; Jongkolphan Kittitharakul-Rawinda Prajongjai (Tha) bt Yuki Fukushima-Sayaka Hirota (Jpn) 21-18, 13-21, 21-11; Nami Matsuyama-Chiharu Shida (Jpn) bt Apriyani Rahayu-Siti Fadia Silva Ramadhanti (Ina) 17-21, 21-14, 21-12; Baek Ha Na-Lee So Hee (Kor) bt Kim So Yeong-Kong Hee Yong (Kor) 16-21, 21-15, 21-16;
Mixed doubles: Feng Yan Zhe-Huang Dong Ping (Chn) bt Kyohei Yamashita-Naru Shinoya (Jpn) 21-9, 21-14; Supak Jomkoh-Supissara Paewsampran (Tha) bt Seo Seung Jae-Chae Yu Jung (Kor) 21-19, 6-21, 21-18; Zheng Si Wei-Huang Ya Qiong (Chn) bt Thom Gicquel-Delphine Delrue (Fra) 22-20, 21-13; Goh Soon Huat-Shevon Lai Jemie (Mas) bt Yuta Watanabe-Arisa Higashino (Jpn) 21-18, 21-14.