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
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, 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.