Daren continues to sizzle by downing world No. 2 Shi Yuqi

WHILE many shuttlers fade away after leaving the national team, Liew Daren just keeps getting better and stronger.

Yesterday, Daren produced yet another scintillating display to stun world No. 2 Shi Yuqi of China 21-12, 16-21, 21-11 to reach the men’s singles semi-finals in the Perodua Malaysian Masters for the second straight year.

“If you had asked me if I can beat him (Yuqi) before the match, I would’ve said no,” said Daren. “After all, he had just won the World Tour Finals.”

“But I’m the underdog and I’ve no pressure. I just went out there to play my best and thought of nothing else.

“I’m really happy to reach the semi-finals as I will be able to maintain the ranking points.

“My ranking dropped from 23rd to 31st after skipping the Thailand Masters last week (which he reached the semis last year), so now I’m relieved.”

Daren believes he has proven a point and shrugged off any suggestion that he was a one-hit wonder after claiming a surprise bronze medal at the World Championships in Nanjing, China, last year.

Since then, he failed to reproduce the same form and flopped at the Asian Games in Indonesia and the other tournaments he took part in.

“It’s great to be back playing well again after struggling in the last few months,” said Daren.

“People may have doubted my ability, but I’ve always believed in myself. If I don’t, I would have hung up my racquet by now.”

Daren is the sole men’s singles left in the fray after youngster Lee Zii Jia went down 12-21, 20-22 to former world champion Viktor Axelsen of Denmark in another quarter-final match.

Meanwhile, Goh Jin Wei was just as impressive as she made it three wins on the trot over world No. 6 He Bingjiao of China in the women’s singles quarter-finals.

Jin Wei, who stunned world No. 5 Akane Yamaguchi of Japan in the opening round, outclassed Bingjiao 21-15, 21-16.

But Jin Wei did not want to get carried away as she bids to reach her first top-flight final when she takes on Thailand’s Ratchanok Intanon today.

“Having beaten two to three top-10 players doesn’t make me a world-class player yet,” said Jin Wei.

“Not until the day I consistently make it to the quarter-finals and semi-finals, only then, I’ll consider myself a top player.

“But I’m making good progress.”