Sudirman Cup: China edge Denmark, Malaysia stun Indonesia for semi-final spot

Malaysia stun Indonesia to set up rematch with Japan in semi-finals, where Chinese shuttlers face South Korea after seeing off Viktor Axelsen

Young Malaysians end 12-year wait for semis with first win over Indonesians, holders China looking for a 12th title in Finland

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China's Wang Yilyu (right) and Huang Dongping react in their mixed doubles match against Denmark's Mathias Christiansen and Alexandra Boje in the quarter-final of the 2021 Sudirman Cup. Photo: Xinhua

Published: 11:29am, 2 Oct 2021Updated: 11:29am, 2 Oct 2021

China’s badminton stars edged past Denmark in the Sudirman Cup to earn a place in the semi-finals of the mixed team tournament in Finland, while Malaysia shocked Indonesia in the biggest upset of the tournament.

Defending champions China, who are looking for a 12th Sudirman Cup win this year, were forced to work for a place in the final four as the Danes took them all the way at the Energia Areena in Vantaa.

China went 1-0 down in the quarter-final as He Jiting and Zhou Haodong were beaten 2-1 by Anders Rasmussen and Frederik Sogaard in an enthralling 87-minute meeting.

Women’s world No 2 Chen Yufei then drew China level at 1-1 with her hard fought 2-1 win against Mia Blichfeldt in an hour and 11 minutes.

Denmark's Viktor Axelsen competes against China's Shi Yuqi in the men's singles competition during the quarter-final match between China and Denmark at the 2021 BWF Sudirman Cup in Vantaa, Finland. Photo: Xinhua

Denmark’s Viktor Axelsen, who beat China’s Chen Long in the final of the men’s singles at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games this summer, was once again a thorn in the side of the Chinese team.

He put the Danes 2-1 ahead with a swift 2-0 win over Shi Yuqi, taking just 45 minutes to give the Europeans one foot in the final four.