China's Bao Chunlai ruined Lee Chong Wei's hopes of a fourth
successive Malaysian Open title with a 21-14 21-18 victory in
Friday's quarter-finals.
Malaysian Lee was tipped to win the tournament after Asian Games
champion Taufik Hidayat and world number one Lin Dan had been
knocked out in earlier rounds.
Bao, however, was too strong for the second seed and next plays
Chen Hong after the 2003 winner defeated Chinese fellow countryman
Chen Jin 21-19 20-22 21-16.
The event is the first leg of the Badminton World Federation's
new Super Series which offers increased prize money and television
coverage, with the aim of lifting the sport's profile.
Peter Gade-Christensen, the 1998 champion, set up an all-Danish
affair in the other semi-final with a 21-14 21-13 victory over
China's Chen Yu.
World number five Gade-Christensen, who was close to pulling out
last week because of illness, next faces Kenneth Jonassen.
Jonassen scored a 21-19 21-15 win over South Korean Park
Sung-hwan, who knocked out Lin on Thursday.
In the women's singles, China's Zhu Lin set up a semi-final with
Dutch player Yao Jie.
Zhu defeated Hwang Hye-young 21-10 21-10 while Yao overcame
Bulgaria's Petya Nedeltcheva 15-21 21-13 21-14.
The other semi-final is between Malaysia's Wong Mew Choo and
Japan's Eriko Hirose.
Wong battled to a 15-21 21-15 22-20 triumph over Germany's Xu
Huaiwen and Hirose put out Hong Kong's Yip Pui-yin 15-21 21-12
21-10.
(China Daily via Reuters January 20, 2007)