The last time Anthony Sinisuka Ginting beat Viktor Axelsen was 12 matches and four years ago. It used to be even between the two back then, in the pre-COVID years, after which the Dane’s game rose to stratospheric heights.

Yesterday, the Indonesian dialled back the years with his blistering pace and attack, and then, with Axelsen fading away in the rearview mirror, Ginting made the cardinal mistake of getting ahead of himself. The Indonesian’s 18-12 lead in the third game should have been decisive, but he couldn’t avoid the temptation of seeking quick points; the lead disappeared in a flash. Four wayward hits and two misjudgements at the back by Ginting saw Axelsen level at 18.

How angry was Ginting with himself for blowing the opportunity?

But the Indonesian is an affable sort; anger wasn’t on his menu. He managed to keep himself focused on the moment, staying tenaciously in a long rally at 18-all, the point proving critical in breaking clear of his opponent.

“I wasn’t angry with myself – I just tried to focus on my strategy for the next point,” said Ginting, who achieved a personal milestone by making his first All England semifinal.

“I led by many points, but I knew it wasn’t over. At that moment, I got impatient. I got a few quick points and maybe I wanted to get some easy points.

“It was a big moment, I’m really happy with my performance. I could recover from the pressure of losing the first game. Of course the All England is one of the most prestigious tournaments that every player wants to get, but I don’t want to think too much. I only want to think of the next match.”

It was a good day for Indonesia, with Ginting and Jonatan Christie making their first All England semifinals, with the possibility of both of them setting up an all-Indonesian men’s singles final for the first time since 1994. Indonesia also have men’s doubles pair Fajar Alfian/Muhammad Rian Ardianto on semifinals day.

Milestone for Tabeling/Piek

Robin Tabeling and Selena Piek were incredulous at making their first Super 1000 semifinals after a come-from-behind win over Ye Hong Wei and Lee Chia Hsin. Having endured a long spell of modest results last year which saw their Olympic qualification chances hang by a thread, the Dutch duo have now put themselves in a strong position with some strong results this season.

“Never expected that after the first game – it was such a weird match,” said Piek.

“It means everything. We were 300 points ahead of the last spot in the Olympic race. It’s a lot nicer being in this position than having to chase our opponents. Semifinal in an All England, in an Olympic year – pretty stoked. It’s one of the biggest achievements in our career. It’s a dream coming true. We never thought this would happen, we changed our flight already and I’m looking forward to changing it again.”

Other Highlights

» Like Ginting, Lakshya Sen too saw his end-game lead disappear before he recovered to stay ahead of Lee Zii Jia and enter the semifinals, 20-22 21-16 21-19.

» Lee Jhe-Huei/Yang Po-Hsuan made their third semifinal in three consecutive weeks beating Supak Jomkoh/Kittinupong Kedren in straight games.

» Carolina Marin bustled with confidence after a lopsided win over a below-par Chen Yu Fei, with her straight-games demolition setting up a last-four clash with Tai Tzu Ying.

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