Li Shifeng of China hits a return during the men's singles semifinal against Kento Momota of Japan at the Yonex German Open 2023 badminton tournament in Mulheim, Germany on March 11, 2023. (PHOTO / XINHUA)

MULHEIM AN DER RUHR, Germany - Chinese young talent Li Shifeng shocked two-time badminton world champion Kento Momota of Japan 21-11, 21-7 in the men's singles semifinals of the BWF German Open in Mulheim on Saturday.

Li, who challenged Momota for the first time in his career, told Xinhua that he took the match in a very serious way and made a lot of preparation for it.

"Kento was my idol. I'm very excited to play against him and win the match. I never expected the result like this," said Li. "I believe that I have made lots of progress in the past season and become more experienced."

"I tried to win every point, especially in the long rally. This match will give me more confidence for future tournaments. Hopefully, I can keep the feeling alive," said the 23-year-old shuttler.

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Chen Yufei of China hits a return during the women's singles semifinal against Akane Yamaguchi of Japan at the Yonex German Open 2023 badminton tournament in Mulheim, Germany on March 11, 2023. (PHOTO / XINHUA)

Women's singles second seed An Se-young of South Korea took an easy win over fourth seed He Bingjiao of China 21-12, 21-13 to book the final spot. The Chinese shuttler holds a record of four wins and two losses against An, but the latter claimed the latest two victories this year.

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Third seed Chen Yufei of China lost to top-seeded Japanese player Akane Yamaguchi 21-18, 21-16. The latter holds a favorable record of 17 wins and nine losses against the Olympic champion.