KUALA LUMPUR: Cheam June Wei's bold decision to leave the national team 11 months ago to revive his stagnant career is starting to bear fruit.
The 25-year-old is arguably in the form of his life as he outclassed Taiwan's Lee Chia Hao 21-7, 21-3 in just 18 minutes in the men's singles semi-finals of the Indonesia Masters Super 100 in Malang today.
Standing in his way in the last hurdle is former national teammate Leong Jun Hao, who is equally desperate to land his first World Tour title.
Jun Hao advanced after overcoming South Korea's Son Wan Ho 21-18, 18-21, 21-13.
Coach Nova Armada was surprised by June Wei's dominant win.
Three weeks ago, June Wei slogged to a 22-20, 25-27, 22-20 win over Chia Hao at the Vietnam Open Super 100.
"Chia Hao was not facing any difficulty, so June Wei's comprehensive win is impressive," said Nova.
"Frankly, I didn't see this coming after the close contest in Vietnam.
"But I was confident from the start that June Wei would win. He was calm and collected in his win against (top seed) Ng Tze Yong (on Friday).
"It shows Juen Wei is getting better and better. His performance is stable. It's just that he needs to work on his stamina."
Against Jun Hao, June Wei will be playing in his eighth career final.
If he wins, it will be June Wei's biggest title yet, as his other two victories were in satellite-level tournaments.
He won the Dutch International in 2018 before adding a second at the 2019 Malaysia International Challenge.
Jun Hao will also be keen to make his chance count after struggling for years with injuries.