Yuqi concedes walkover

Injury prone Shi Yuqi has withdrawn from the Thailand Open badminton championships semi-finals, handing Danish rival Anders Antonsen a free ride into the final.

It was déjà vu for Antonsen, who received as similar walkover from Yuqi at the 2019 Indonesian Open. That time it was an ankle injury, but no reasons was available for the top seeded Yuqi’s withdrawal this time.

Yuqi has dealt with several recent physical setbacks, notably a back injury that forced him to retire from the Malaysia Open final against Thailand’s Kunlavut Vitidsarn in January.

He also experienced an injury scare at the Chinese National Games and an acute gastrointestinal illness during the Thomas Cup.

Antonsen will take on second seeded Vitidsarn in the final tomorrow. The Thai ace defeated Taiwanese veteran Chou Tien Chen 21-7, 21-19 in his semi-final tie.

It will be a repeat of last year’s final, where Vitidsarn emerged victorious. Denmark has not won a final in the Thailand Open since Viktor Axelsen’s victory in January 2021.

There were no surprises in the women’s singles with three-time world champion Akane Yamaguchi of Japan and second seed Chen Yufei overcoming their giant-killing rivals in the semi-finals.

Yamaguchi eased past Thailand’s Pitchamon Opatniputh, who had beaten fourth seeded teammate Pornpawee Chochuwong in the quarter-finals, 21-11, 21-15 in just 37-minutes.

Japan’s Hina Akechi , had gunned down third seed and former world champion Ratchanok Intanon in the quarter-finals. But, Yufei gave her little room fora another shocking result, with a clinical 21-17, 21-19 victory.

The biggest upset of the day was in the mixed doubles. The unseeded Chinese duo of Zhu Yijun-Li Qian stunned top seeds Dechapol Puavaranukroh-Supissara Paewsampran of Thailand 21-17, 10-21, 21-18. They will play the Danish pair of Mathias Christiansen-Alexandra Boje, who overcame anotehr Chinese pair – Chen Xing-Zhang Chi, 23-21, 17-21, 21-16 in their semi-finals

Top seeds shown the exit in China

Both the last two standing top seeds at the China Masters were shown the exit in Baoji Cuty.

Men’s singles top seed Minoru Koga fell to a surprisingly easy 6-21, 12-21 defeat at the hands of fellow Japanese Riki Takei in the semi-finals. He will take on China’s Sun Chao in the final. Sun Chao had beaten another Japanese player Riku Hatano 21-10, 21-19 in his semi-final tie.

In the mixed doubles, Taiwanese third seeds Chan Yin Chak-Ng Tsz Yau battled past top seeds Bimo Prasetyo-Arlya Nabila Thesya Munggaran 15-21, 21-18, 21-11 to book their place in the final. They play Ma Xixiang-Qin Huizhi, who defeated Shen Xuanyao-Tang Ruizhi 23-20, 20-22, 21-16 in all-Chinese semi-finals.

Third seeded Shriyanshi Valishetty of India will play China’s Yuan Anqi in the women’s singles final.

THAILAND OPEN

SEMI-FINAL RESULTS

Men’s Singles: Kunlavut Vitidsarn (Tha) bt Chou Tien Chen (Tpe) 21-7, 21-19; Anders Antonsen (Den) bt Shi Yuqi (Chn) walkover      

Men’s Doubles: Satwiksairaj Rankireddy-Chirag Shetty (Ind) bt             Goh Sze Fei-Nur Izzuddin (Mas) 19-21, 22-20, 21-16; Leo Rolly Carnando-Daniel Marthin (Ina) bt He Jiting-Ren Xiangyu (Chn) 21-15, 21-18

Women’s Singles: Akane Yamaguchi (Jpn) bt Pitchamon Opatniputh (Tha) 21-11, 21-15; Chen Yufei (Chn) bt Hina Akechi (Jpn) 21-17, 21-19          

Women’s Doubles: Bao Lijing-Cao Zihan (Chn) bt Hu Ling Fang-Jheng Yu Chieh (Tpe)  21-18, 21-17; Rin Iwanaga-Kie Nakanishi (Jpn) bt Rui Hirokami-Sayaka Hobara (Jpn) 22-20, 21-12

Mixed Doubles: Mathias Christiansen-Alexandra Boje (Den) bt Chen Xing-Zhang Chi (Chn) 23-21, 17-21, 21-16 ; Zhu Yijun-Li Qian (Chn) bt Dechapol Puavaranukroh-Supissara Paewsampran (Tha)  21-17, 10-21, 21-18           

CHINA MASTERS

SEMI-FINAL RESULTS

Men’s Singles: Sun Chao (Chn) bt Riku Hatano (Jpn) 21-10, 21-19; Riki Takei (Jpn) bt Minoru Koga (Jpn) 21-6, 21-12                     

Men’s Doubles: Ma Shang-Shen Xuanyao (Chn) bt You An Chen-Lin You-Yu (Tpe) 21-16, 21-9; Shuntaro Mezaki-Yuta Oku (Jpn) bt Chen Sheng Fa-Shao Hua Chiu (Tpe) 21-19, 19-21, 21-18

Women’s Singles: Shriyanshi Valishetty (Ind) bt Xu Wenjing (Chn) 21-13, 21-17; Yuan Anqi (Chn) bt Thamonwan Nithiittikrai (Tha) 21-14, 14-21, 21-16 

Women’s Doubles: Sumire Nakade-Miyu Takahashi (Jpn) bt Wu Jiashu-Yang Jiayi (Chn)          21-6, 21-13; Low Zi Yu-Noraqilah Maisarah (Mas) bt Wang Yiduo-Wang Zimeng (Chn) 21-19, 21-18

Mixed Doubles: Ma Xixiang-Qin Huizhi (Chn) bt Shen Xuanyao-Tang Ruizhi (Chn) 23-21, 20-22, 21-16; Chan Yin Chak-Ng Tsz Yau (Hkg) bt Bimo Prasetyo-Arlya Nabila Thesya Munggaran (Ina)    15-21, 21-18, 21-11