Anders Antonsen had to dig deep to end Lee Zii Jia\u2019s run at the Arctic Open badminton championships, but the Dane\u2019s victory came with a heartfelt message for his close friend.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Antonsen prevailed 21-11 15-21 21-16 in a 78-minute encounter, overcoming a second-game wobble to set up the men\u2019s singles final against Yushi Tanaka, who earlier secured his place with a 21-14 11-21 21-16 victory over compatriot Koki Watanabe.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIt was a tricky one, an emotional rollercoaster ride,\u201d Antonsen said. \u201cI played well in the first game. In the second, it frustrated me that all of a sudden that good feeling just went away.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The turning point came before the decider, when Antonsen\u2019s coach delivered a blunt message.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cHe told me the truth. Man up, stop feeling sorry for yourself and fight your socks off. And that was what I did in the third game.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The victory carried an emotional dimension \u2013 Antonsen and Zii Jia are close friends away from competition.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cBut we also understand when it\u2019s time to play, it\u2019s time to play,\u201d Antonsen said. \u201cFriendship is put aside for a little while, then we are okay right after.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
For Zii Jia, the defeat did little to diminish an encouraging week. Starting in qualifying, the Malaysian built momentum with every match, rediscovering belief in his game while offering encouraging signs of a possible turnaround in his career.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cSo many positive things at this tournament,\u201d he said. \u201cMatch by match I gained a lot of confidence, especially today against one of my best friends.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The post-match exchange meant as much to Lee as the badminton itself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cHe said \u2018welcome back\u2019 and I responded \u2018I hope so\u2019. He immediately told me not to doubt myself. That means a lot. Especially after all the struggles. I hope this time is a great comeback for me.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Antonsen expressed delight at seeing his friend back competing at a high level.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cHe did a fantastic tournament. Very happy to play him again.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In the morning, Antonsen\u2019s compatriot Mia Blichfeldt delivered an emphatic performance, sweeping past Nozomi Okuhara 21-11 21-7 to reach her first final since winning the HYLO Open in October last year. She faces top seed Ratchanok Intanon, who recovered from a game down to beat Line Christophersen 17-21 21-10 21-13 and deny an all-Danish title match.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Meanwhile, Aaron Tai and Yap Roy King defeated Christian Faust Kjaer\/Rasmus Kjaer 21-14 21-16 to make the men\u2019s doubles final at their first tournament together. The Malaysians will take on Lai Po Yu\/Tsai Fu Cheng for the crown.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
SEMI-FINAL RESULTS<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Men\u2019s singles:<\/strong> Yushi Tanaka (Jpn) bt Koki Watanabe (Jpn) 21-14, 11-21, 21-16; Anders Antonsen (Den) bt Lee Zii Jia (Mas) 21-11, 15-21, 21-16<\/p>\n\n\n\n Men\u2019s doubles:<\/strong> Aaron Tai-Yap Roy King (Mas) bt Christian Faust Kjaer-Rasmus Kjaer (Den) 21-14, 21-16; Lai Po Yu-Tsai Fu Cheng (Tpe) bt Julien Maio-William Villeger (Fra) 21-15, 19-21, 21-13<\/p>\n\n\n\n Women\u2019s singles:<\/strong> Mia Blichfeldt (Den) bt Nozomi Okuhara (Jpn) 21-11, 21-7; Ratchanok Intanon (Tha) bt Line Christophersen (Den) 17-21, 21-10, 21-13<\/p>\n\n\n\n Women\u2019s doubles:<\/strong> Chen Fan Shutian-Luo Xumin (Chn) bt Hsu Ya Ching-Sung Yu-Hsuan (Tpe) 21-14, 21-19; Hsu Yin-Hui-Lin Jhih Yun (Tpe) bt Bao Lijing-Cao Zihan (Chn) 17-21, 21-14, 21-18<\/p>\n\n\n\n Mixed doubles:<\/strong> Gao Jiaxuan-Wu Mengying (Chn) bt Liu Kuang Heng-Hsu Yin-Hui (Tpe) 21-11, 21-14; Jiang Zhenbang-Wei Yaxin (Chn) bt Feng Yanzhe-Huang Dongping (Chn) 21-18, 21-17<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Anders Antonsen had to dig deep to end Lee Zii Jia\u2019s run at the Arctic Open badminton championships,<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":12157,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_uf_show_specific_survey":0,"_uf_disable_surveys":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[75],"class_list":["post-16552","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-newsbeat","tag-badminton"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t