China’s Chen Yufei delivered a stellar performance at the Badminton Asia Championships in Ningbo, Zhejiang Province, on Friday, defeating Japan’s Akane Yamaguchi to secure a spot in the women’s singles semifinals.
Chen, facing the No. 3 seed and 2019 champion Yamaguchi, battled through a tightly contested first game, edging out her opponent 21-19. Riding the momentum, she dominated the second game, sealing a 21-13 victory.
In men’s singles, China’s Shi Yuqi faced a surprising defeat against Singapore’s Loh Kean Yew. After narrowly losing the first game 19-21, Shi rebounded to take the second 21-13. However, Loh controlled the decider, winning 21-16 to advance to the semifinals.
The women’s doubles saw Olympic gold medalists Chen Qingchen and Jia Yifan continue their impressive run, defeating fellow Chinese duo Li Yijing and Luo Xumin 21-12, 21-15 to book their place in the last four.
In men’s doubles, China’s Liang Weikeng and Wang Chang advanced after a hard-fought victory over Indonesia’s Muhammad Shohibul and Daniel Marthin, winning 21-19, 21-19.
Top seeds Jiang Zhenbang and Wei Yaxin of China progressed to the mixed doubles semifinals, overcoming Indonesia’s Rinov Rivaldy and Pitha Haningtyas Mentari with a 21-14, 21-15 win.
The semifinals promise exciting matchups as the tournament heads towards its climax, with Chinese players strongly represented across the board.
