Lee Zii Jia will be out to study Shi Yu Qi’s match ahead of their All-England semi-finals showdown after the Malaysian prevailed in three games against Kodai Naraoka to continue his good run.

Lee battled for 67-minutes before seeing off the Japanese 21-9, 10-21, 21-13 in another powerful, energy sapping match at the Arena Birmingham.

Again, the world number four relied heavily on his attacking prowess to see him through as Naraoka threatened a comeback in various stages of this encounter.

Lee eventually did enough to avenge his loss to the Japanese at the Malaysia Open earlier this year.

“Mentally and physically I am excited, and I want to keep this motivation and excitement going until the end. It will be tough against Shi Yu Qi in the semis. I have played him a few times already.

“Chinese players are good at reading the game. I will do my homework as well, and hope for a good game,” he said.

The last time both shuttlers met was at last year’s Denmark Open final, where Shi won in three games.

That tournament was also the furthest Lee had progressed before his career took a nosedive and became mired with various issues.

He looked to have reproduced some of the devastating form at this All-England, and would be hoping for another success as he bids to reach a second final in three years.

While Lee got the job done, Ng Tze Yong crashed out after a 11-21, 11-21 loss against Li Shi Feng.

The victory over Viktor Axelsen on Thursday had clearly taken its toll on the Malaysian, who was lacklustre throughout against Li to crash out.

Nonetheless, it was still a memorable outing for the youngster to reach the quarter-finals of the Super 1000 event on his debut.