Chinese badminton stars Shi Yuqi and Wang Zhiyi electrified home crowds in Ningbo today, securing semifinal spots at the 2026 Badminton Asia Championships! 🌟 Shi, the tournament’s No. 2 seed, dominated Japan’s Kodai Naraoka with a crisp 21-18, 21-18 win. Next up? A fiery clash with Chinese Taipei’s Chou Tien-chen, who survived a marathon match against Singapore’s Loh Kean Yew.
Meanwhile, Wang Zhiyi made it look easy with a 21-13, 21-15 victory over Japan’s Riko Gunji. But the real plot twist? 🇮🇳 20-year-old Indian qualifier Ayush Shetty shocked third-seed Jonatan Christie 23-21, 21-17 – his second giant-killing act after taking down China’s Li Shifeng earlier this week!
Emotions ran high as China’s Gao Fangjie bid farewell to competitive play after her loss to Japan’s Akane Yamaguchi. The 27-year-old’s retirement marks the end of an era, especially after missing selection for this year’s Uber Cup. 💔
Other highlights:
ROK’s World No. 1 An Se-young and Sim Yu-jin set for all-Korean semifinal showdown
Chinese pairs dominate doubles brackets, with Liu Shengshu/Tan Ning and Feng Yanzhe/Huang Dongping advancing
