KUALA LUMPUR, March 11  -- Top seed and Olympic silver medallist Datuk Lee Chong Wei stepped closer to his first ever All England badminton championship by advancing into the men's singles quarter-finals.

Lee won his second round tie against world number 11 Sony Dwi Kuncoro of Indonesia in the match played at the Birmingham's National Indoor Arena today.

The battle, which lasted 39 minutes, saw the Malaysian shuttler taming the Indonesian 21-11, 21-17.

Another Malaysian in the running is Muhammad Hafiz Hashim who is scheduled to meet world number two Lin Dan of China at 5am Friday (Malaysian time).

In the men's doubles, Gan Teik Chai-Tan Bin Shen and veteran pair of Choong Tan Fook-Lee Wan Wah are slated to play later tonight.