Antonsen misses China Masters final after exhausting semifinal drama

The China Masters men's singles final will have no Danish player after Jason Gunawan produced a surprise three-game victory over Anders Antonsen.

Antonsen entered the semifinal as the clear favorite, but the Hong Kong player won 15-21, 22-20, 21-16. The result set up an unexpected all-Hong Kong final against Lee Cheuk Yiu, with Gunawan ranked 32nd in the world and Lee ranked 25th.

The 22-year-old Gunawan appears to be enjoying the best tournament of his young career. He took advantage whenever the more experienced Dane began to lose his composure.

Antonsen recovered from an early 1-6 deficit in the first game by moving closer to the net and taking control of the rallies. He led 11-8, then pulled away after Gunawan levelled at 14-14 with a six-point run.

Gunawan seized control in the second game with a seven-point streak that put him 9-4 ahead. Antonsen fought back to 19-19 and survived one game point, but Gunawan forced a decider. The Hong Kong player built a solid lead and refused to panic when Antonsen put together short scoring runs. Antonsen had a chance to make it 17-17, but made the wrong decision at the net and smashed his racket into the floor in frustration.