All England Open: Men’s singles semi-finals preview

It was a day with a huge upset in the quarterfinals as world number 10 Lee Zii Jia beat the number one seed Kento Momota of Japan. Viktor Axelsen on the other hand eased into the semi-finals, setting up an exciting match against team-mate Anders Antonsen.

Match Details: Lee Zii Jia[6] vs Mark Caljouw

• Date:20 March 2021
• Tournament: Yonex All England Open 2021
• Venue: Arena Birmingham
• Category: World Tour Super 1000
• Round: Semi-Final

Lee Zii Jia[6] vs Mark Caljouw: Men’s singles semi-finals Match Preview All England Open

25-year-old Mark Caljouw who is ranked 36 in the world is climbing heights with his improving performances. He made it to the round of 16 in the Swiss Open.

Lee Zii Jia has been brilliant, beating first seed Kento Momota of Japan. He has been among the best in the world now, but with this semi-final, he is on the way to be the best.

Lee Zii Jia[6] vs Mark Caljouw: Head-to-Head

Lee Zii Jia leads the head-to-head 1-0. This will be the second meeting between the two. They last met in the German Open 2019 Lee Zii Jia 19-21, 21-8, 21-16.

Lee Zii Jia[6] vs Mark Caljouw: Match Prediction

Lee Zii Jia is the man in stunning form and is the one ranked higher with much better game and performances. He is likely to win this semi-final game.

Prediction: Lee Zii Jia wins, straight sets.

Match Details: Viktor Axelsen[2] vs Anders Antonsen[3]

• Date:20 March 2021
• Tournament: Yonex All England Open 2021
• Venue: Arena Birmingham
• Category: World Tour Super 1000
• Round: Semi-Final

Viktor Axelsen[2] vs Anders Antonsen[3]: Men’s singles semi-finals Match Preview All England Open

This could be termed as the clash of the titans as the second and third seeds who have been stunning with their performances play later today. Axelsen has played 4 finals this year already and is the defending champion at Birmingham. Anders Antonsen, the winner of Denmark Open 2020 and the BWF World Tour finals 2020.

Viktor Axelsen vs Anders Antonsen: Head-to-Head

This is going to be the seventh meeting between the two on the international stage. They have an equalized head-to-head at 3-3. The last meeting was won by Antonsen in the BWF World Tour Finals 2020 in January 2021. However, two of the last three meetings have been won by Axelsen.

Viktor Axelsen vs Anders Antonsen: Match Prediction

It would be a really exciting match to see these two Danes who are in fiery form clash. Axelsen has been near unbeatable with only Antonsen having beaten him in his top-notch form. While Axelsen could be a favourite to win the match, Antonsen isn’t going to ake it easy. It will be a tough game for both players.

Prediction: Axelsen wins in three sets.

Where to watch?

The matches start at 3:30 PM IST and will be telecast live on Star Sports 3 and Star Sports 2 HD TV channels in India and Disney+ Hotstar OTT platform.

Also Read: All England Open: PV Sindhu overcomes Yamaguchi in a thriller match