The world No 31 took more than 70 minutes to seal the win, his third victory against the second-seeded Japanese in their four meetings to date.

Jun Hao shocked world No 17 Lakshya Sen of India in the first round and continued his fine form in the second round by defeating world No 11 Koki Watanabe of Japan.

The unseeded Jun Hao was calm and composed in the first game today despite the vociferous home support for his rival. He led all the way to win 21-17.

Kodai took the second game with all guns blazing from the start, giving the Malaysian no chance with his powerful smashes and superb court coverage to win easily 21-9.

In the third game, both shuttlers fought hard in a neck-and-neck battle, but Jun Hao managed to race ahead and win 21-16, breaking the hearts of Japanese fans.

In the semi-final tomorrow, Jun Hao will play world No 6 Jonatan Christie of Indonesia, who defeated Lee Zii Jia in the quarter-finals earlier today. The two have won once each in their two encounters so far.

The 25-year-old Jun Hao, who had suffered first-round exits in the China, Arctic and Denmark Opens this year, appears to have regained his old form.

Shuttlers are fighting hard for the top eight spots in the World Tour rankings, to qualify for the World Tour Finals (WTF) to be played in Hangzhou, China, from Dec 11 to 15.

The China Masters next week will be their final chance to amass points and secure their positions for the WTF.