Former world number one Peter Gade of Denmark sounded a clear warning he is back to his best with a battling 15-4, 9-15, 15-10 victory over Malaysia's Roslin Hashim at the All England badminton championships quarter-finals.
Gade, who has struggled to regain his best form since suffering a knee injury at the 2001 World championships, took 80 minutes to move past a difficult opponent.
"At 8-8 [in the third] I had to put some psychological pressure on him. I had to be more aggressive. That is why I won. I am getting closer to maximum," said Gade on Friday.
"I've had a tough draw but I'm pleased I'm now through to the semis,"
The Dane now meets Indonesia's Taufik Hidayat, the man he beat in the 1999 final to capture the All England crown, in Saturday's semi-finals.
Hidayat brushed aside China's Chen Yu 15-8, 15-8 and is now aiming for a third All England final appearance in five years following defeats by Gade in 1999 and World champion Xia Xuanze the following year.
Top seed Lin Dan of China continued untroubled with a 15-10, 15-1 victory over Indonesian Sony Dwi Kuncoro.
His semi-final opponent on Saturday is Singapore's Ronald Susilo who beat 10th-seeded Dane Anders Boesen 15-9, 9-15, 15-9.
