Lee in semifinals of Malaysian Open

KUALA LUMPUR — Malaysia's badminton ace Lee Chong Wei is through to the semifinals of the Malaysian Open after dispatching Denmark's Viktor Axelsen in a quarterfinal match Friday. Lee, ranked third in the world, displayed confidence and fine form in the 40-minute game with swift attacks and a sturdy defense to win 21-14, 21-13.
He had missed last year's edition because of a suspension after testing positive for dexamethasone, a banned anti-inflammatory, at the world championships in Copenhagen in 2014. But in April last year the Badminton World Federation said Lee "accidentally" had ingested the banned substance and handed him an eight-month backdated ban, which effectively cleared him to resume his career.
"I controlled the game and was confident from the start. This was my best game to date and I am hoping for strong crowd support ahead of the semi-finals," said Lee, who will square-off against Danish shuttler Jan O Jorgensen, ranked fifth in the world, in the next round on Saturday. "Jorgensen will be a tough proposition, especially after his big win. But my record against him is great and I hope to better it when I play him," added Lee, who has repeatedly said he wants to realise his Olympic dreams this year. Jorgensen cruised past a limp Lin Dan in the quarterfinals, wrapping up a 21-17, 21-4 triumph in 32-minutes to send the tattooed Chinese superstar, ranked number three in the world, packing. "I feel good after beating one of the favorites. He is one of my idols and I grew up watching him, but he will be ever dangerous when the Olympics comes along," said Jorgensen. In another quarterfinal match, world No. 1 Chen Long defeated compatriot Tian Houwei 21-16, 21-16 and will meet Indonesia's Jonatan Christie in the semifinals. Caption: Malaysia's Lee Chong Wei gestures after defeating Viktor Axelsen of Denmark at the 2016 Malaysia Open Badminton Superseries at the Malawati Stadium in Shah Alam Friday. — AFP