KUALA LUMPUR: Independent player Liew Daren continued his spirited run in the Spain Masters as he stormed into the semifinals in Barcelona yesterday.
The unseeded Daren, chasing his dream of qualifying for the Tokyo Olympics, defeated fifth seed Rasmus Gemke of Denmark 16-21, 21-17, 21-17 in the quarter-finals in 67 minutes.
World No 14 Lee Zii Jia is in pole position to claim Malaysia’s sole Olympic spot in the men’s singles but a good run in Barcelona could help Daren improve his world No 42 ranking before the Olympic qualifying period concludes at the end of April.
Daren takes on top seed and former world champion Viktor Axelsen of Denmark, who thrashed compatriot Jan O Jorgensen 21-8, 21-5, in the semi-finals.
Malaysian men’s doubles Aaron Chia-Soh Wooi Yik also kept alive their hopes of winning their first Badminton World Federation Tour title after beating Germany’s Mark Lamsfuss-Marvin Seidel 21-18, 21-13 to reach the last four.
In the semifinals, the second seeded Malaysians will play Denmark’s fourth seeds Kim Astrup-Anders Skaarup Rasmussen.
Meanwhile, mixed doubles Goh Soon Huat-Shevon Lai crashed out in the quarter-finals after losing to South Korean veteran pair Kim Sa Rang-Kim Ha Na 21-18, 21-18.
Women’s doubles Chow Mei Kuan-Lee Meng Yean were also shown the exit in the last eight after losing 15-21, 21-14, 21-19 to Chloe Birch-Lauren Smith of England.