Odense: Chinese pair Li Xuerui and Wang Shixian remained on a collision course for the BWF Denmark Open final, after second-round wins on Thursday.
Li, top seed in the women’s singles at the Badminton World Federation tournament in Odense, eased past Japan’s Sayaka Takahashi 21-14 21-12 in 33 minutes.
Wang took a little longer – 39 minutes – to dispatch of another Japanese player Eriko Hirose 21-13 21-9.
Defending champion and third seed Wang Yihan got the better of Chinese Taipei’s Hsu Ya Ching 21-15 21-15 to move into the last eight.
China have four players in the quarter-finals, with Liu Xin set to meet 2013 winner Wang next after she beat Thai fifth seed Ratchanok Intanon 21-9 22-24 21-13.
American Beiwen Zhang will play top seed Li in the last eight, after seeing off Thai Busanan Ongbumrungpan 21-15 21-17.
South Korean fourth seed Sung Ji Hyun defeated Japanese qualifier Akane Yamaguchi 21-13 21-18, and will meet India’s Sindhu PV next after the latter beat Russia’s Ksenia Polikarpova 21-17 21-19.
Indian seventh seed Saina Nehwal will meet second seed Wang for a spot in the semis, after seeing off the threat of Japan’s Minatsu Mitani 21-12 21-10.
In the men’s singles, second seed Chen Long survived a scare from Thai Tanongsak Saensomboonsuk before progressing 16-21 21-19 21-19.
Chen Long will play Frenchman Brice Leverdez next, after he downed China’s Chen Yuekun 21-19 21-16.
Unseeded men’s singles player Boonsak Ponsana of Thailand beat South Korea’s Lee Dong Keun 21-17 21-12, while China’s Tian Houwei saw off Vietnam’s Nguyen Tien Minh 21-16 21-13. These two players are going to face off against each other on Friday, and the winner will take on either Son Wan Ho of South Korea, or India’s K. Srikanth in the semi-finals.
Son fought past Japan’s Kento Momota 22-20 12-21 21-16, while Srikanth K defeated Taipei’s Hsu Jen Hao 21-15 21-12 in the second round.
