Ma, the current world number one, breezed past Japan’s Kaii Yoshida with a 11-7, 11-7,11-4,12-10 to set up a meeting with Zhang in tomorrow’s semi-final.

Yoshida had earlier sealed a shock 16-14, 11-8, 6-11, 11-8, 11-6 win over Portugal’s Marcos Freitas but he came up against an in-form Ma and was unable to replicate his giant-killing display.

London 2012 Olympic Games gold medallist Zhang, meanwhile, ousted compatriot Fang Bo in his quarter-final contest with a 13-11, 11-8, 11-6, 8-11, 15-13 success to keep his pursuit of the Berlin Open crown alive.

Number two seed Dimitrij Ovtcharov of Germany failed to reach the semi-finals as he crashed out of the tournament after he was beaten 11-5, 9-11, 11-8,11-2, 11-5 by sixth seed Chuang Chih-yuan of Chinese Taipei.

The men’s last four line-up was completed by Vladimir Samsonov of Belarus, who overcame home hope Timo Boll in straight games 12-10, 12-10, 11-9, 11-6.

He will face Chuang for a spot in the final, which also takes place tomorrow.

In the women’s singles draw, Lee Ho Ching of Hong Kong continued her surprise run in the tournament as seventh seed Seo Hyo-Won of South Korea became her latest victim.

The unseeded player, who had dumped number three seed Feng Tianwei of Singapore out of the competition yesterday, will go up against Kasumi Ishikawa of Japan in the semi-finals after she beat the South Korean 11-6, 11-8, 9-11, 11-5, 4-11, 4-11, 11-7 in a marathon encounter.

Ishikawa justified her number two seeding as she dispatched defending champion and compatriot Mama Ito 11-5, 4-11, 11-3, 11-8, 11-7.

Ai Fukuhura, the top seed from Japan, was also on the end of a shock defeat after she lost 11-4, 11-8, 11-4, 14-12 to fifth seed Wu Yang of China.

Her next opponent will be team-mate Hu Limei, who proved too strong for South Korea’s Yang Ha-eun with a 15-13, 11-9, 11-7, 7-11, 11-4 triumph.

Yang had earlier partnered Jeon Jihee to the final of the women's doubles competition as the South Korean duo survived a nail-biting contest with Cheng I-Ching and Huang Yi-hua, eventually emerging with a 11-5, 11-7, 5-11, 7-11, 11-1 victory.

The German crowd finally had something to cheer as Han Ying and Irene Ivancan ensured they will face the Yang and Jeon for gold after they beat Jiang Huajun and Tie Yana of Hong Kong 7-11,11-8, 11-6, 6-11, 11-9.

Ho Kwan Kit and Tan Peng, also from Hong Kong, will face Japanese team Masataka Morizono and Yuya Oshima in the final of the men's doubles event.