Seeded women take control at SKYCITY NZ Badminton Open

The cream has risen to the top in the womens singles at the SKYCITY New Zealand Badminton Open at the North Shore Events Centre in Auckland.

The top four ranked players are through to the semifinals, led by title favourite Ratchanok Intanon from Thailand.

The world number nine bounced back from a slow start to beat sixth seeded Indonesian Dinar Dyah Ayustine 19-21 21-10 21-11.

Likewise, second seed Fitriani was on the back foot early, dropping her opening game against Malaysian Yen Mei Ho. However, the 18-year-old Indonesian rattled off the next two games to win 9-21 21-10 21-13.

Fitrianis relieved to come away with the win.

"I was a bit nervous in the first set but started to enjoy the game more in the second," she said.

"Now I can focus on tomorrows game and get mentally prepared."

The win moves her a step closer to a showdown with Intanon, but thats not something shes contemplating just yet.

"I just want to focus on my semifinal first. If I get through that then I can think about getting the chance to face the number nine in the world."

Fitriani fought back to earn semifinal spot - Jonathon Stone-Blackstar Sports

Fitriani will face Japans Saena Kawakami in the last four, after the fifth seed downed Chinas Yaxin Wei 22-20 21-15, while fourth seeded Indonesian Hanna Ramadini earned the right to face Intanon in the semis, with a 21-12 21-19 victory over Chinese Taipeis Pai Yu Po. In the mens singles, Chinese Taipeis Tzu Wei Wang sounded a warning to his title rivals with a 21-7 21-7 demolition of Australian Anthony Joe.

The top seed will play compatriot Lin Yu Hsien in the last four, after he prevailed in a nail-biting match against fourth seeded Indian HS Prannoy, scraping home 21-10, 20-22 23-21.

There was also guaranteed to be a player from Chinese Taipei in the other half of the draw, Hsu Jen Hao and Chia Hung Lu squaring off. In the end Jen Hao prevailed 22-20 23-21.

His opponent in the last four is Chinas Lee Cheuk Yiu, who downed seventh seeded Indian Sourabh Verma 21-19 21-16.

Meanwhile, as the seeds dominated the womens singles, the mixed doubles proved a far different story.

Australias Sawan Serasinghe and Setyana Mapasa are now the leading title contenders, having started the week seeded eighth.

The Aussie duo moved confidently into the last four with a 21-15, 21-16 win over Tan Qiang and Shijun Qiao, and will now face another unseeded Chinese pair in the semis, after Zhou Haodong and Xu Ya beat Indonesias Riky Widianto and Richi Puspita Dili 21-18, 9-21, 22-20.

Serasinghe and Mapasa now title contenders - Jonathon Stone-Blackstar Sports

Serasinghe and Mapasa are the only seeded pairing remaining in the draw, after sixth seeds Edi Subaktiar and Gloria Emanuelle Widjaja lost to fellow Indonesians Ronald and Annisa Saufika 18-21, 21-17, 23-21.

Chinese Taipeis Chi-Lin and Australian Hsuan-Yu Wendy Chen had earlier thumped Chinese seventh seeds He Jiting and Du Yue 21-13, 21-4.

Free use photos attached for editorial purposes - please credit Jonathon Stone-Blackstar Sports.

Image 1 - Fitriani fought back to earn semifinal spot

Image 2 - Serasinghe and Mapasa are now title contenders

Day Four Results:

Women's Singles:

Ratchanok INTANON (1), THA, def. Dinar Dyah AYUSTINE (6), INA, 19-21 21-10 21-11.

Hanna RAMADINI (4), INA, def. PAI Yu Po, TPE, 21-12 21-19.

Saena KAWAKAMI (5), JPN, def. Yaxin WEI, CHN, 22-20 21-15.

Fitriani FITRIANI (2), INA, def. Yen Mei HO, MAS, 9-21 21-10 21-13.

Mens Singles

Tzu Wei WANG (1), TPE, def. Anthony JOE, AUS, 21-7 21-7.

LIN Yu Hsien (11), TPE, def. PRANNOY H. S. (4), IND, 21-10 20-22 23-21.

LEE Cheuk Yiu, HKG, def. Sourabh VERMA (7), IND, 21-19 21-16.

HSU Jen Hao (6), TPE, def. Chia Hung LU, TPE, 22-20 23-21.

Womens Doubles

Vivian HOO and WOON Khe Wei (1), MAS, def. Shijun QIAO and ZHANG Shuxian, CHN, 21-7 21-16.

Greysia POLII and Apriyani RAHAYU, INA, def. Yu Chieh CHENG and Ling Fang HU, TPE, 21-11 21-10.

Ayako SAKURAMOTO and Yukiko TAKAHATA (4), JPN, def. Joyce CHOONG and Yea Ching GOH, MAS, 28-30 21-11 22-20.

Xuanxuan LIU and Yuting XIA, CHN, def. Yulfira BARKAH and Meirisa Cindy SAHPUTRI, INA, 21-16 14-21 21-14.

Mens Doubles

CHEN Hung Ling and WANG Chi-Lin (1), TPE, def. CHEN Sihang and FAN Qiuyue, CHN, 21-10 21-12.

Kenas Adi HARYANTO and Moh Reza Pahievi ISFAHANI, INA, def. HSU Jen Hao and LU Chia Pin, TPE, 20-22 21-12 21-18.

HE Jiting and TAN Qiang, CHN, def. Wahyu Nayaka ARYA PANGKARYANIRA and Ade Yusuf SANTOSO, INA, 21-19 21-13.

ONG Yew Sin and TEO Ee Yi (2), MAS, def. LIAO Min Chun and Cheng Heng SU (7), TPE, 19-21 21-14 21-16.

Mixed Doubles

Ronald RONALD and Annisa SAUFIKA, INA, def. Edi SUBAKTIAR and Gloria Emanuelle WIDJAJA (6), INA, 18-21 21-17 23-21.

WANG Chi-Lin, TPE, and Hsuan-Yu Wendy CHEN, AUS, def. HE Jiting and DU Yue (7), CHN, 21-13 21-4.

Sawan SERASINGHE and Setyana MAPASA (8), AUS, def. TAN Qiang and Shijun QIAO, CHN, 21-15 21-16.

ZHOU Haodong and XU Ya, CHN, def. Riky WIDIANTO and Richi Puspita DILI, INA, 21-18 9-21 22-20.