KUALA LUMPUR: It is a dream for Lee Zii Jia to be making his first All England final, but he is not getting carried away just yet.
The national No. 1 earned his first major final appearance after overpowering Dutch World No. 36 Mark Caljouw 21-13, 21-17 in the men's singles semi-finals at the Utilita Arena in Birmingham on Saturday.
But the World No. 10 knows that the job is not quite done yet, with one final hurdle — World No. 2 Viktor Axelsen of Denmark standing in his way on Sunday.
"I think everyone in badminton dreams about playing in the All England and being in the final," said Zii Jia.
"It is a big moment for anyone in their career, and it is also the same for me.
"I think getting to this stage was also tough as I lost some focus in the second game against Caljouw, and I had to come from behind to win.
"I feel that I am getting better and have gained more experience.
"Of course, my confidence is also slowly coming back, although it will be a very tough opponent in the final in Axelsen.
"I do want to be the best and I'm working on it. The progress is not looking so bad at all.
"Maybe with more confidence in the future, I can be one of the best players, but for now, I just want to enjoy this moment and get some rest before the final."
The Kedahan certainly has a tall order going up against Axelsen as the Malaysian has only recorded one win in four meetings against the Dane.
He was soundly beaten by Axelsen at their last meeting during the BWF World Tour Finals in January, and his only victory came in the second round of the Korean Open in 2019.
Meanwhile Axelsen, who is also the defending champion, is equally pumped to be in his third straight All England final and to be taking on Zii Jia.
"It means a lot to me as the All England is one of the biggest tournaments on the tour, and it's one of those that you really want to win," said Axelsen after beating compatriot and World No. 3 Anders Antonsen 16-21, 21-7, 21-17 in the semi-finals.
"I won it last year, and I have a chance to win it again, so it's a dream coming true for me.
"And I'm expecting another really nice match as this is Zii Jia's first All England final, so it's going to be exciting."