CHANGZHOU, China - Home favorite Shi Yuqi and South Korea's world No. 1 An Se-young continued their strong form at badminton's China Open on Friday, advancing to the men's and women's singles semifinals respectively.
Third seed Shi overcame compatriot Li Shifeng in a dramatic three-game battle, winning 15-21, 21-15, 21-11.
Shi revealed he had briefly considered withdrawing due to an injury sustained early in the decider. "But I didn't want to let the spectators down, and the injury wasn't that serious, so I decided to keep playing," he added.
Li described Shi as "stronger, faster, and more skilful at the net than I am", adding that he hoped to perform more consistently and reach more semifinals of major tournaments in the future.
Shi will next face Chou Tien-chen, after the Chinese Taipei shuttler stunned top seed Kunlavut Vitidsarn of Thailand 21-17, 21-11.
The other semifinal will feature Chinese youngster Wang Zhengxing against Denmark's Anders Antonsen.
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In the women's singles, Olympic champion An Se-young battled past China's Chen Yufei 21-18, 21-19 in a tense contest.
"Chen is the kind of player who makes me uneasy even when I'm leading, So I did prepare a lot for this match," said An.
She will take on China's Han Yue, who defeated Indonesia's Gregoria Mariska Tunjung 21-19, 21-18.
Women's doubles top seeds Liu Shengshu and Tan Ning beat fellow Chinese pair Li Yijing and Luo Xumin 21-13, 17-21, 21-16 after a grueling 69-minute battle. South Korea's Kim Hye-jeong and Kong Hee-yong also booked a semifinal spot, rallying to beat teammates Baek Ha-na and Lee So-hee 6-21, 22-20, 21-12.
In the men's doubles, China's fifth seeds Liang Weikeng and Wang Chang eliminated South Korea's Kang Min-hyuk and Kim Dong-ju 21-16, 22-20. They will compete with Indonesian duo Fajar Alfian and Muhammad Shohibul Fikri in the semifinals.
READ MORE: Shi Yuqi advances at badminton China Open
Elsewhere, three Chinese pairs advanced to the mixed doubles semifinals, as Feng Yanzhe and Huang Dongping, Jiang Zhenbang and Wei Yaxin, and Guo Xinwa and Chen Fanghui all recorded straight-game victories.
