HANGZHOU - Chinese men's singles star Shi Yuqi booked a spot in the semifinals of the Badminton World Federation (BWF) World Tour Finals here on Thursday, while his compatriot Li Shifeng suffered an early exit.
Following his opening win over Li on Wednesday, world No 1 Shi sealed his knockout-stage berth by defeating Chou Tien-chen of Chinese Taipei 21-11, 19-21, 21-15 in a 75-minute battle.
"My opponent made many changes in the second game, with some tricks I hadn't seen before, which put a lot of pressure on my focus," Shi said, praising the 35-year-old veteran.
"His physical ability is truly exceptional to maintain this level. Apart from Lin Dan, his physical talent might be the best I've ever seen," the newly crowned world champion added.
The 21-16, 21-15 defeat to Japan's Kodai Naraoka ended Li's semifinals hopes, leaving him eliminated with a match in hand. while Naraoka joined Shi as the qualifiers from Group B.
In Group A, France's Christo Popov secured a surprise early qualification by upsetting Thailand's world champion Kunlavut Vitidsarn 21-11, 18-21, 21-10.
The remaining spot will be decided between Kunlavut and Denmark's Anders Antonsen, who defeated Indonesia's Jonatan Christie in straight games on Thursday.
In the women's singles, top contenders An Se-young of South Korea and Japan's Akane Yamaguchi, both with two wins, advanced from Group A.
Home favorite Wang Zhiyi topped Group B undefeated to claim a semifinals ticket. China's Han Yue and Thailand's Ratchanok Intanon will face off on Friday to decide the group's second qualifier, following Pornpawee Chochuwong's withdrawal due to injury.
READ MORE: BWF World Championships: Shi crowned in men's singles as China claims two titles
In doubles, China's star pairs Feng Yanzhe/Huang Dongping (mixed doubles) and Liu Shengshu/Tan Ning (women's doubles) both progressed with perfect records. The South Korean duo Kim Won-ho/Seo Seung-jae also secured early advancement in men's draw.
The final group matches will be played on Friday, with the semifinals scheduled for Saturday.
