The Malaysian star, a three-time Olympic silver medallist, was beaten by South Korea’s Son Wan Ho yesterday, but put in a much improved display against Ng Ka Long Angus of Hong Kong.

Lee would emerge as a 21-15, 22-20 victor, having held his nerve in the tight second game to remain in the hunt for a fifth title at the season ending event.

He will face Denmark’s Viktor Axelsen in a battle to decide the second qualifier from Group B, after the Rio 2016 bronze medallist was beaten 21-19, 14-21, 21-18 by Son in their match, with the South Korean booking his place in Saturday’s (December 17) semi-final.

Group A’s qualifiers have already been decided, with top seed Jan Ø Jorgensen and China’s Tian Houwei earning their second victories of the round robin phase.

Jorgensen earned a straight games 21-18, 21-10 win against Germany’s Marc Zwiebler, leaving the Dane now set to contest top spot in the standings with Tian, who beat Hong Kong’s Hu Yun 21-19, 13-21, 21-7.

The attention in the women’s singles continue to centre on Group B, where Olympic champion Carolina Marin suffered her second consecutive defeat to leave her hopes of a last four place hanging by a thread.

She would claim the first game 21-18 against Japan's Akane Yamaguchi, but the Spaniard was unable to prevent her rival winning the next two 21-17, 21-14 to secure her first win.

Marin will need to beat India’s Pusarla Sindhu in a repeat of the Rio 2016 Olympic final tomorrow to stand a chance of going through, but she will also require China’s Sun Yu to overcome Yamaguchi.

Sun ensured she would not have to fret about her participation in the semi-finals as she beat Sindhu 21-15, 21-17 in their contest.

World number one Tai-Tzu Ying booked her place in the semi-finals by beating Thailand’s Intanon Ratchanok 21-12, 21-14 in Group A, with the result also seeing South Korea’s Sung Ji Hyun advance after beating He Bingjiao of China 21-18, 21-15.

Olympic champion Tontowi Ahmad and Liliyana Natsir were eliminated from the mixed doubles competition after the Indonesians retired through injury when trailing Joachim Fischer Nielsen and Christinna Pedersen 21-8, 11-8.

The result took the Danish pair through from Group A with Praveen Jordan and Debby Susanto, as the Indonesian pair overcame South Korea's Ko Sung Hyun and Kim Ha Na, 21-12, 21-12.

In Group B, China’s Zheng Siwei and Chen Qingchen beat defending champions Chris and Gabby Adcock 21-17, 21-17 to progress.

The English pairing will face more Chinese opposition in a winner takes all clash for the final place in the last four, following Lu Kai and Huang Yaqiong’s 21-12, 21-19 win over Japan's Kenta Kazuno and Ayane Kurihara.

Mads Conrad-Petersen and Mads Pieler Kolding booked their place in the men's doubles semi-finals, as the Danish pair won 21-12, 21-19 against Indonesia’s Marcus Fer Gideon and Kevin Sanj Sukamuljo in Group A.

Fer Gideon and Sanj Sukamuljo will face Japan’s Takeshi Kamura and Keigo Sonoda for the second spot, as the top seeds triumphed 21-15, 21-9 against Angga Pratama and Ricky Kara Suwardi of Indonesia.

Malaysia’s Goh V Shem and Tan Wee Kiong advanced from Group B after winning their opening match 18-21, 21-19, 21-19 against Li Junhui and Liu Yuchen.

The Chinese pairing would have played Carsten Mogensen and Mathias Boe tomorrow but Danes pulled out yesterday due to illness, leaving them no further opportunity to earn a win.

It meant the result also saw China’s Chai Biao and Hong Wei progress, despite not playing today.

Olympic women’s champions Misaki Matsutomo and Ayaka Takahashi are into the semi-finals after the Japanese pairing beat China’s Luo Ying and Luo Yu 21-7, 21-11, sending the defending champions out of the competition.

South Korea's Chang Ye Na and Lee So Hee also went through from Group A, by beating Japan's Naoko Fukuman and Kurumi Yonao 14-11.

China’s Chen Qingchen and Jia Yifan triumphed 13-21, 21-14, 21-13 against Christinna Pedersen and Kamilla Rytter Juhl in Group B.

It leaves the Danes taking on Jung Kyung Eun and Shin Seung Chan of South Korea for the remaining spot, as they were 21-19, 21-17 winners against Malaysia’s Vivian Hoo and Woon Khe Wei.