The No. 1-ranked Chong Wei was joined in the finals by women's counterpart Wang Yihan, who outlasted defending champion Wang Shixian 20-22, 21-18, 21-18 in their 85-minute, all-Chinese match.
Chong Wei will meet either four-time champ Lin Dan or Kenichi Tago of Japan. Chong Wei beat both in the last two finals.
He always led No. 7 Lee in both games, though never without complete authority. Lee made the end tense, however, when he won seven straight points to close to 18-16 behind but Chong Wei was too good, finishing the 45-minute match with a smash down the middle that Lee let pass but which slid in.
"I am pleased with the way I played, my movement was good," Chong Wei said. "I have a small problem with my hand but nothing serious and I will be fine tomorrow." Wang Yihan and Wang Shixian traded wins over the last five years and the No. 1 ranking over the last six months of 2011. And there was little between them in their first match in almost 14 months.
Wang Yihan led 19-13 but relaxed and ended up blowing three game points as Wang Shixian rallied to claim the first game in 31 minutes when Wang Yihan netted. Wang Yihan led again for much of the second, and finally won it on her fifth game point after nearly an hour. In the last game, Wang Yihan blasted back from 13-8 down to finally win on her fourth match point when Wang Shixian lobbed long.
Wang Yihan won the title in 2009, lost in the 2010 final and missed last year's event because of injury.
In the final she will face Chinese teammate Li Xuerui or unseeded Tai Tzu-ying of Taiwan.
