Shi Yuqi and Lee Chia hao set for final showdown at All England Open

BIRMINGHAM, England - Shi Yuqi will face Lee Chia-hao in the mens singles final at the All England Open Badminton Championships, while Wang Zhiyi will compete against An Se-young in the womens final, after they won their semi-finals on Saturday.

Top seed Shi beat Chinese compatriot Li Shifeng 21-9 20-22 21-19.

The final game was a nerve-wracking affair, with Shi looking set to break away. However, Li fought back strongly, levelling the score twice near the end, before Shi kept his cool and clinched the win.

In the other semi-final, Taiwans Lee staged a comeback after losing the first game, overcoming Frances Alex Lanier, the last remaining European in the competition, 19-21 21-14 21-17.

The first semi-final of the womens singles provided another all-China clash, with second seed Wang beating Han Yue 21-10 21-19.

Top seed An of South Korea faced third-seeded Akane Yamaguchi of Japan in a rematch of the 2022 final, where Yamaguchi emerged victorious.

This time, however, An, the reigning Olympic champion, had little difficulty securing a 21-12 21-17 win to book her third final in four years. REUTERS

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