An Se Young and Akane Yamaguchi Headline 2026 World Championships Semifinals

The 2026 BWF World Championships have advanced to the semifinal stage in New Delhi, showcasing some of badminton's elite athletes following a thrilling day of quarterfinal matches.

In the women's singles, top seed An Se Young maintained her strong form, defeating China's Han Yue in straight games with scores of 21-19 and 21-12. An faced a tough challenge in the first game but managed to secure the win, while the second game was more straightforward as she established control early on.

China's Wang Zhi Yi also secured her semifinal spot with an impressive victory over Denmark's Line Christophersen, winning decisively 21-10, 21-7. Wang's commanding performance sets her up for a semifinal clash against An Se Young.

Japan's Akane Yamaguchi ensured her country's presence in the semifinals by overcoming Canada's Michelle Li, winning 21-17, 21-10. Yamaguchi will now face Thailand's Pornpawee Chochuwong, who advanced without playing due to Nozomi Okuhara's withdrawal.

In women's doubles, India's Treesa Jolly and Gayatri Gopichand Pullela achieved a significant upset by eliminating China's fourth seeds, Jia Yi Fan and Zhang Shu Xian, after losing the first game. They rallied to win the next two games, securing a spot in the semifinals against China's top-seeded duo Liu Sheng Shu and Tan Ning. These matches are scheduled for August 22 on Court 1, promising an exciting day of competition.