The first session of semifinal day has just concluded, revealing five of the ten finalists for Sunday’s championship matches.
Unfortunately, this session also marked the end of European participation, as France’s Alex Lanier fell to Lee Chia Hao from Chinese Taipei. On paper, Lanier was the favorite, but Lee has delivered outstanding performances throughout the tournament, and today was no exception. Lanier struggled to match his opponent’s speed and admitted he wasn’t at his physical best: "I couldn't find a way to manage his speed, the legs were not there."
It was the first-ever meeting between the two players, and Lanier had high praise for his opponent: "He is really good techically, so that was a surprise for me the shot quality that he had today was just really good."
The match ended 21-19, 14-21, 17-21 in favor of Lee, bringing Lanier’s first All England campaign to a close. However, the young Frenchman remains optimistic about his form: "I came quite confident, and I am going out of this tournament quite confident also."
Elsewhere, world number one Shi Yu Qi booked his spot in the men’s singles final after a hard-fought victory over compatriot Li Shi Feng 21-9, 20-22, 21-19.
The mixed doubles final will be an all-Chinese showdown, with the results as follows:
Guo/ Chen - Jiang/ Huang
21-15, 24-26, 21-16
Feng/Wei - Lee/ Chae 21-14, 21-18
In the women’s doubles, Japan’s Matsuyama/Shida secured their place in the final with a dominant win over Liu/Tan from China 21-9, 21-17.
The second semifinal session is set to begin at 18:00 CET.