KUALA LUMPUR: World No 4 Lee Zii Jia exacted sweet revenge on Japan's Kodai Naraoka as he powered into his fourth consecutive All England semi-finals today.
Zii Jia, the 2021 All England winner, defeated world No 6 Naraoka 21-9, 10-21, 21-13 to set up a last-four battle with 2017 champion Shi Yu Qi of China.
Zii Jia had lost to Naraoka in the first round of the Malaysia Open in January, which marked the start of a four-tournament poor run that saw him failing to get past the last 16.
But Zii Jia's solid performance thus far in Birmingham showed that the worst is probably behind him now as he will be looking to spark his revival by winning the All England for the second time.
However, Zii Jia knows a rejuvenated Yu Qi will be one tricky opponent to deal with.
The last time Zii Jia clashed with former world No 2 Yu Qi was in the Denmark Open final in October last year, which saw the latter triumphing 21-18, 16-21, 21-12.