Chen Jin secured an all-Chinese final after beating second-seeded Lee Chong Wei of Malaysia in straight games at the All England badminton championships on Saturday.
Chen, 22, beat the world number two 21-18, 21-18 to set up a final clash with fellow Chinese Lin Dan, who thrashed compatriot Bao Chunlai 21-14, 21-14 in the other semifinal later in the afternoon.
"I was quite confident even in the first game when I was down," Chen said.
"I'm happy to beat him. He was a tough player but I played my best and gradually took control of the court."
Lee opened up a 5-3 lead but Chen rallied to a 16-all before clinching the first game.
The Chinese was in clear domination over the second game, charging into 20-15 before eventually winning at his fourth match point.
But it will be tough for the young man to play Lin in Sunday's final since he lost in the six previous meetings with the top seed.
While Chen said he would consider the final as an opportunity to learn from his opponent, Lin, the men's champion in 2004, 2006 and 2007, expected a close showdown.
"Both of us are well prepared (for the final)," he said.
"We know each other well. Actually when we played back at home, I was often the loser."
Unseeded Tine Rasmussen of Denmark surged into women's final, upsetting South Korean Hwang Hye Youn 21-17, 21-18, to keep European hope alive.
Rasmussen, coming back from a career-threatening Achilles injury to win the Japan and Malaysian titles since September, is trying to match her fellow Dane Camilla Martin in winning the All England title.
But she has to conquer third-seeded Lu Lan to do that. The 20-year-old Chinese reached her first final in Birmingham with a straightforward 21-13, 21-14 victory over the Chinese-born German player, Xu Huaiwen.
Men's doubles final will see a South Korean derby between HwangJi Man/Lee Jae Jin and Jung Jae Sung/Lee Yong Dae, who survived five match points to beat fourth-seeded Choong Tan Fook/Lee Wan Wah of Malaysia 13-21, 24-22, 23-21.
Lee Yong Dae was lucky to escape from a yellow card when banging the umpire's chair with his racket to dispute the line call which brought up match point at 21-20 in favor of the Malaysians.
Source: Xinhua
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