Top Seeds Shi, Kunlavut, and Antonsen Eliminated at Japan Open

In a stunning upset at the Japan Open, the tournament's top three seeds in men's singles—Shi Yu Qi, Kunlavut Vitidsarn, and Anders Antonsen—were all eliminated in the quarterfinals on Friday. China's Shi Yu Qi, the top seed, faced off against France's fifth seed Christo Popov, while Thailand's second seed Kunlavut Vitidsarn was defeated by Japan's Yushi Tanaka. Denmark's third seed Anders Antonsen was sent packing by another Japanese player, Koki Watanabe.

Shi Yu Qi entered his match with a strong 5-2 record against Popov but was unable to maintain his dominance. After winning the first game 21-14, Shi faltered as Popov surged back to take the next two games, ultimately winning 14-21, 21-10, 21-11. This victory secured Popov a spot in the semifinals, where he will face Japan's Kodai Naraoka, who triumphed over Indonesia’s Alwi Farhan in a grueling three-game match.

Yushi Tanaka also made headlines by overcoming Kunlavut Vitidsarn. After losing the first game 20-22, Tanaka rallied to win the next two games 21-16 and 21-18, marking a significant turnaround in their rivalry. Meanwhile, Koki Watanabe continued Japan's strong showing by defeating Anders Antonsen in straight games, 21-13, 21-17, setting up an all-Japanese semifinal between Tanaka and Watanabe.

In women's singles, China's fourth seed Chen Yu Fei showcased her prowess with a decisive victory over South Korea’s Sim Yu Jin, winning 21-10, 21-12. Chen will next face India's Pusarla V. Sindhu, who advanced to the semifinals after Japan's Nozomi Okuhara withdrew from their match. Indonesia's Putri Kusuma Wardani also made headlines by defeating China's second seed Wang Zhi Yi, marking her first win against Wang in eight attempts. Japan's Akane Yamaguchi secured her semifinal spot after overcoming an opening game loss against South Korea’s Kim Ga Eun.