NINGBO, April 11 (Xinhua) -- Unheralded contenders delivered a series of surprise results as the semifinals of the 2026 Badminton Asia Championships concluded on Saturday, with South Korea's mixed doubles pair Kim Jae-hyeon and Jang Ha-jeong winning the title and India's Ayush Shetty advancing to the men's singles final.
Ranked 118th in the world, Kim and Jang started from the qualification rounds and defeated a string of higher-ranked opponents, including Malaysia's world champions Chen Tang Jie and Toh Ee Wei, en route to the last four. They beat Japan's Yuta Watanabe and Maya Taguchi 21-18, 21-11 in the semifinals.
Their scheduled opponents in the final, Thailand's Dechapol Puavaranukroh and Supissara Paewsampran, withdrew after defeating China's Feng Yanzhe and Huang Dongping in the other semifinal, handing the Korean pair the title - their first major crown since partnering up - via walkover.
Shetty also secured a breakthrough result, stunning world No. 1 Kunlavut Vitidsarn of Thailand 10-21, 21-19, 21-17 in a 75-minute battle. He will face China's Shi Yuqi, ranked second in the world, in the final after Shi beat veteran Chou Tien-chen of Chinese Taipei in straight games.
China's Li Yijing and Luo Xumin produced another upset, defeating Japan's Yuki Fukushima and Mayu Matsumoto 21-17, 21-17 to reach the women's doubles final, where they will take on compatriots Liu Shengshu and Tan Ning.
The women's singles final will pit world No. 1 An Se-young of South Korea against China's Wang Zhiyi. An is seeking her first Asian Championships title, the only major crown missing from her collection, while Wang will look to beat the top-ranked player again following her All England triumph.
South Korea has already secured the men's doubles title, with world No. 1 pair Kim Won-ho and Seo Seung-jae beating China's He Jiting and Ren Xiangyu 21-13, 22-20 to set up a final clash with compatriots Kang Min-hyuk and Ki Dong-ju. ■
