Chinese shuttlers advance to quarterfinals at BWF Malaysia Open

Chinese badminton players maintained their momentum at the Malaysia Open on Thursday. World No. 7 Li Shifeng needed three games to overcome India's H.S. Prannoy to reach the men's singles quarterfinals.

Li easily dominated the first game 21-8. The 26th-ranked Prannoy took the second game 21-15 to pull one back, before Li reasserted himself to clinch the decider 23-21 when his Indian opponent hit the net. Li will meet Chinese Taipei's Chi Yu-jen in the last eight.

In the women's doubles, China's Jia Yifan and Zhang Shuxian overcame sixth-seeded Indian pair Treesa Jolly and Gayatri Gopichand Pullela in three games.

This was Jia and Zhang's third international event as a team, and the Chinese duo led 14-12 in the decider. The unseeded pair went on to close out the contest 21-19 to reach the last eight.

In the men's doubles, China's second seeds Liang Weikeng and Wang Chang were upset by South Korea's Kim Won Ho and Seo Seung Jae 21-17, 21-16 to miss out on a place in the quarterfinals.