Victor Axelsen, the world’s number one badminton player, entered the Indonesia Masters semi-finals after defeating Hong Kong’s Angus Ng Ka Long on Friday.
Danish players moved up in the semi-finals after defeating Ng 21-13, 21-9 in a 39-minute match at the Istra Senayan Sports Arena in Jakarta.
In the semi-finals, Axelsen faced home’s favorite Anthony Sinisuka Ginting, who won 18-21, 21-16 and 21-15 against Malaysian rising star Lee Zii Jia in a 69-minute match. increase.
Axelsen told reporters after the match, “Tomorrow will be a tough situation for ginting … but I’m looking forward to it.”
In the women’s singles, Tokyo Olympic champion Chen Yufei defeated Thailand’s Busananong Bamrunfan 21-11, 21-15 in a 40-minute match to rank in the top four.
“Today’s match went well. My opponent was a little impatient, so my performance improved,” Chen told reporters.
Meanwhile, India’s ace shuttle PV Sindhu quit the match after losing to Thailand’s Ratchanok Intanon 21-12 and 21-10.
In the men’s doubles, local heroes Kevin Sanjaya Skomljo and Marcus Gideon moved up in the semi-finals after a fierce race with Malaysian pairs Go Se Fay and Nuru Izdin.
Lovingly known by fans as the “Minions,” the World Champion defeated Malaysian opponents 10-21, 21-11, 21-18 in the 51st minute.
Indonesia Masters is Gideon’s first tournament after surgery to remove the growth of small bones in the ankle in April.
After the Indonesia Masters, the Indonesia Open will start on June 14th and continue until June 19th.
Due to the coronavirus pandemic, a series of tournaments were highly anticipated almost three years after the Indonesian capital had no live audience.
