Denmark Open: Zii Jia denied third title of the year by Shi Yu Qi

Lee Zii Jia was denied his third title of the year as he was upstaged by China's Shi Yu Qi 21-18, 16-21, 21-12 in the men's singles final of the Denmark Open on Sunday.

The world number three came into this match as the slight favourite, simply by virtue of having featured regularly on the World Tour circuit.

But the unpredictability of Shi, who only returned to competitive action in August after almost a year out due to suspension by his national association, was not to be taken for granted.

The first game unfolded in Shi's favour, with the Chinese withstanding Lee's attacks and then finding accurate winners with his own attacking prowess.

Shi pulled away just before the interval and put enough breathing space between him and Lee to come away with the lead.

Lee stormed back strongly in the second game, taking an early comfortable lead before using his firepower to level matters with a 21-16 win.

But it was Shi who finally prevailed, playing almost the perfect deciding game by working the Malaysian into submission for the 21-12 win.

Lee would be nonetheless satisfied with his overall performance here to reach the final, after falling early in his previous three events.

Earlier this year, Lee had won the Asian Championships and Thailand Open title.

For Shi, who cut an emotional figure after sealing the win, it was the perfect comeback after serving a lengthy ban for unsportsmanlike behaviour against Kento Momota at the 2020 Thomas Cup.