Jakarta
Defending champion Anders Antonsen of Denmark advanced to the Indonesia Masters semi-final Friday after beating hometown star Jonatan Christie.
Antonsen will meet Hong Kong’s Lee Cheuk Yiu on Saturday at Istora Senayan stadium in the capital Jakarta.
The Dane upset Christie, the 2018 Asian Games men’s champion, in a 21-14, 10-21 and 21-12 match that clocked in at one hour and eight minutes.
“I am happy to play so much against him. We have always a fun matches and he is a very good opponent. I am always enjoying our rivalry,” Antonsen said after the match.
The Dane flagged his semi-final rival as a worthy adversary “who is doing really well at the moment”.
“With so many good players left, right now I will focus on the match tomorrow and we will see if I can win that one,” he added.
Despite hometown favourite Christie’s loss, Indonesia managed to secure a place in the men’s semi-final after 2018 Indonesia Masters champion Anthony Sinisuka Ginting beat China’s Huang Yu Xiang 21-11, 21-14.
Ginting meets Denmark’s Viktor Axelsen in the semi-final.
In women’s singles, former world champion Carolina Marin from Spain secured a semi-final berth in a come back victory against South Korea’s An Se Young at 21-17 and 21-6.
Marin, last year’s runner up, will face He Bing Jiao from China on Saturday while Thailand’s Ratchanok Intanon meets China’s Wang Zhi Yi.
The Indonesian tournament will not feature Badminton world number one Kento Momota after the Japanese was injured in a car crash that killed his driver and left him with minor injuries in Kuala Lumpur.
