China's World No. 1 Shi Yuqi stamped his authority on Group B and marched into the BWF World Tour Finals semifinals on Friday in Hangzhou.

Shi dismissed Japan's Kodai Naraoka in 28 minutes, 21‑9, 21‑11, completing a perfect group run of three wins to finish top. Naraoka's defeat mattered little as he also progressed as the group runner‑up, leaving Shi to prepare for a heavyweight semifinal against Thailand's Kunlavut Vitidsarn.

Vitidsarn earned that last semifinal slot from Group A with a hard‑fought win over Denmark's Anders Antonsen. Both players entered the match with one win apiece and everything to play for. The Thai took the first game 21‑15, Antonsen edged the second 21‑18, but 2024 Paris Olympics silver medallist Vitidsarn steadied in the decider to win 21‑13 and seal his place in the last four.

In the women's draw, Olympic champion An Se‑young of the Republic of Korea staged a spirited comeback to beat Japan's Akane Yamaguchi 14‑21, 21‑5, 21‑14, while China's doubles contenders continued to impress. Home pairs Liu Shengshu & Tan Ning (women's doubles) and Feng Yanzhe & Huang Dongping (mixed doubles) both finished their group stages unbeaten at 3‑0, tidying up the day for the hosts and setting up promising semifinal prospects.