First, he stunned third seed Lee Chia Hao. Then, he took down senior compatriot Srikanth Kidambi.

Now, Ayush Shetty has booked his spot in the men’s singles semifinals at YONEX Taipei Open 2025 by defeating yet another contender – seventh seed Brian Yang.

Despite losing the opening game, the young Indian showcased impressive resilience to rally back for a 16-21 21-19 21-14 victory, repeating his three-game triumph over Kidambi from the previous round.

A thrilled Shetty shared post-match: “Feeling great reaching the semis here. This is my first time at the Taipei Open and I’m happy with the way I’m playing.”

Yang made a strong push in the second game, turning an 18-15 deficit into a 19-18 lead. But Shetty stepped on the gas at the right moment, reeling off three straight points to snatch the game and shift the momentum decisively in his favour.

“Winning the second game was a confidence booster. That’s when I started playing more aggressively and paced up well, it really set me on the right track,” said the 20-year-old.

“I want to go further and keep progressing. These wins are building a lot of belief in my game.”

Next, Shetty faces his toughest test yet – home hero and top seed Chou Tien Chen, who staged a comeback of his own to defeat Indonesia’s Moh Zaki Ubaidillah 16-21 21-18 21-19.

In the women’s singles, Pitchamon Opatniputh emerged victorious in a clash of former world junior champions, overcoming Riko Gunji to end her two-year wait for a semifinal appearance on the HSBC BWF World Tour.

“I’ve battled injuries the past two years and often lost in the early rounds. To reach a semifinal again feels amazing, it’s really boosted my confidence,” said the 18-year-old Thai after her 21-16 21-17 win.

Interestingly, Opatniputh’s only previous World Tour semifinal also came in Taipei in 2023, the same year she clinched the BWF World Junior Championships in Spokane, USA. Gunji won hers four years earlier in Kazan, Russia.

→ Results (Quarterfinals)

→ Order of play (Semifinals)