China secures last four spots in Thomas & Uber Cup
China's men's and women's teams trounced their opponents 3-1 and 3-0 respectively, advancing to the Thomas and Uber Cup semifinals here on Thursday.
Playing on home soil for the first time since 2016, China is looking to triumph in the biennial international badminton championships, as the powerhouse only finished in the last eight in the men's Thomas Cup and lost the women's Uber Cup final two years ago.
World No. 2 Shi Yuqi recovered from one game down to beat Prannoy Haseena Sunil Kumar 15-21, 21-11, 21-14, scoring the opening victory for China in the quarterfinal clash against defending champion India in the Thomas Cup.
Indian rising star Lakshya Sen crushed Li Shifeng when China led 2-0, but in-form He Jiting and Ren Xiangyu made it 3-1, sealing the host's last-four berth.
Also on Thursday, Malaysia cruised into the semifinals after eliminating Japan 3-1, and will meet China on Saturday.
In the women's Uber Cup, China secured a semifinal spot with a commanding 3-0 victory over Denmark.
Olympic champion Chen Yufei put China ahead by beating Line Hojmark Kjaersfeldt 21-10, 21-12, before world No. 1 Chen Qingchen and Jia Yifan made it 2-0 in the following doubles clash.
He Bingjiao also contributed a 2-0 win against Line Christophersen, 21-16, 22-20.
China will face Japan in the semifinals after the latter defeated India 3-0.
"Japan is a strong team and we need to face them with a good attitude," Chen said. "No matter who the opponent is, we will give our best."
"Japan has a flexible lineup because of four great singles players. But so do we," added He.
The championships, held in Chengdu, southwest China's Sichuan Province, marked the 33rd edition of the Thomas Cup and the 30th edition of the Uber Cup, with each tournament featuring 16 teams and taking place from April 27 to May 5.
The remaining quarterfinals will be played on Friday.