NINGBO, April 10 (Xinhua) -- China's Shi Yuqi and Wang Zhiyi advanced to the men's and women's singles semifinals of the 2026 Badminton Asia Championships on Friday, while their compatriot Gao Fangjie announced her retirement following a hard-fought loss to Japan's Akane Yamaguchi.

Second seed Shi dispatched Japan's Kodai Naraoka 21-18, 21-18 and will next face Chou Tien-chen of Chinese Taipei, who outlasted Singapore's Loh Kean Yew in three games.

In other men's action, defending champion Kunlavut Vitidsarn of Thailand rallied past China's Weng Hongyang 20-22, 21-9, 21-9, while Indian qualifier Ayush Shetty continued his giant-killing run by ousting third seed Jonatan Christie of Indonesia 23-21, 21-17. The 20-year-old had previously stunned China's Li Shifeng in the opening round.

In women's singles, Wang eased past Japan's Riko Gunji 21-13, 21-15. Top seed An Se-young of South Korea and teammate Sim Yu-jin set up an all-Korean semifinal clash in the opposite half of the draw following respective victories.

The tournament marked the career finale for 27-year-old Gao. After falling to Yamaguchi 23-21, 11-21, 13-21, Gao confirmed she was stepping away from the sport, having missed selection for the upcoming Uber Cup.

"My badminton career ends with both regret and fulfillment. Even without a world title or a spot in the Uber Cup, this spirit of never giving up has made me my own champion," Gao said.

In men's doubles, He Jiting and Ren Xiangyu defeated compatriots Liang Weikeng and Wang Chang 21-19, 21-15 to set up a semifinal against top seeds Kim Won-ho and Seo Seung-jae of South Korea.

Top-seeded Chinese duo Liu Shengshu and Tan Ning in women's doubles, along with mixed doubles pair Feng Yanzhe and Huang Dongping, also secured their last-four berths. ■