Lee Chong Wei was in a class of his own as he notched his 17th straight win against Tommy Sugiarto on Saturday to set up the men’s singles final against Japan’s Kento Momota in the 2018 Celcom Axiata Malaysia Open.

The Malaysian badminton ace, who is the most decorated player in the competition’s history with 11 titles, defeated his challenger from Indonesia 21-18, 21-15 in the semi-finals at the Axiata Arena in Bukit Jalil.



After the match, the Rio Olympics silver medallist said his biggest challenge at the tournament would be against Momota, whom he felt would be the next world badminton sensation.

"He's a great and talented young player. After Lin Dan and I retire, the focus will be on him [Momota] and [Viktor] Axelson,” he told reporters after the game.

Lee and Momota have only met twice, with each winning a game against the other.

On today's match, Chong Wei sang praise of his Indonesian opponent, who beat world number three Shi Yuqi from China in the quarter-finals.

"I am satisfied with my performance, and having an unbeaten 17-game record against Tommy is very important for my career. Today's match was not easy, as he was in high spirit after beating the world number three yesterday," he said.

Meanwhile, Momota said he was looking forward to the match against Lee and expected a tough fight in the final on Sunday.

"I’m not thinking about losing or winning tomorrow, I just want to enjoy the game and do my best for the fans and supporters," said the 23-year-old who beat Kidambi Srikanth of India 21-13, 21-13 in the other semi-final contest.