Birmingham: Olympic men’s doubles silver medalists Goh V Shem/Tan Wee Kiong failed to get past the quarter-finals by going down to No. 6 seeds Li Junhui/Liu Yuchen of China 19-21, 21-17, 19-21 in 66 minutes on Friday.
The No. 6 seeds Li/Liu will play compatriots Liu Cheng/Zhang Nan for a final berth on Saturday.
Unseeded Liu Cheng/Zhang Nan also pulled off another big upset on Friday, beating No. 3 seeds Takeshi Kamura/Keigo Sonoda of Japan 21-23, 21-15, 21-19 to advance to the semi-finals.
In men’s singles competition, six-time All England champion Lin Dan put on a masterclass on Friday as he swept into the semi-finals, toppling No. 3 seed Viktor Axelsen of Denmark 8-21, 21-14, 21-15 and avenging his defeat to the Dane in the Rio Olympic bronze medal playoff last August.
Lin will meet his teammate Shi Yuqi on Saturday.
Meanwhile, men’s singles No. 1 seed Lee Chong Wei of Malaysia showcased his relentless fire, displaying his speed, technique, power, and an exceptional shot making to overcome No. 7 seed Tian Houwei of China 21-12, 21-15 in the men’s singles quarter-finals. Lee will clash with last week’s German Open champion Chou Tien Chen in the semi-finals.
