Odense: Malaysia’s World No. 11 Lee Zii Jia and the 2022 men’s doubles world champions Aaron Chia/Soh Wooi Yik are aiming for strong showings in the Denmark Open finals on Sunday, following their triumphant semi-final matches on Saturday.
In the men’s singles semi-finals, Lee Zii Jia bested the world no. 18 player from Hong Kong, Lee Cheuk Yiu, with scores of 21-15 and 21-17. This win marks Lee Zii Jia’s second consecutive year entering the finals of the Denmark Open.
Highlights of Lee Zii Jia vs. Lee Cheuk Yiu in the 2023 Denmark Open semi-finals:
The two Lees have crossed rackets thrice since 2019, with Lee Cheuk Yiu winning the previous two matches. However, this time, Lee Zii Jia emerged victorious, claiming his first win against Lee Cheuk Yiu.
Fresh off his win at the Arctic Super 500 last week, which ended a 17-month championship drought, Lee Zii Jia aims to secure back-to-back titles this Sunday. The last time he clinched consecutive championships was in May of the previous year when he took home the trophies at both the Badminton Asia Championships and the Thailand Super 500.
In the final, Lee Zii Jia will face off against China’s rising star, Weng Hongyang, who made it to the finals after a victory against his compatriot and defending champion, Shi Yuqi, with scores of 21-19 and 21-14.
The men’s doubles semi-finals saw the world No. 4 duo of Aaron Chia/Soh Wooi Yik prevail over their Danish counterparts, the world No. 6 pair of Kim Astrup/Anders Skaarup Rasmussen, with a final score of 16-21, 21-15, and 21-15. This win takes Chia/Soh’s head-to-head record against Astrup/Rasmussen to 6-3 in their favor.
Highlights of Aaron Chia/Soh Wooi Yik vs. Kim Astrup/Anders Skaarup Rasmussen in the 2023 Denmark Open semi-finals:
Chia/Soh will be vying for their first BWF World Tour Championship on Sunday, having reached the finals of the Indonesia Open, China Open, and India Open earlier this year. Their opponents in the final will be the Indonesian pair of Muhammad Shohibul Fikri/Bagas Maulana.
In their semi-final match, the 14th-ranked Fikri/Maulana overcame their top-seeded compatriots Fajar Alfian/Muhammad Rian Ardianto with scores of 21-11, 16-21, and 21-12, securing their place in the final showdown.
