Hangzhou, Dec 19 (IANS) Former World Champion Ratchanok Intanon of Thailand maintained her chances of advancing from women’s singles Group B with a comfortable victory over China’s third seed Han Yue in the preliminary league stage of the BWF World Tour Finals on Friday.

In the match played on Court 1 of the Hangzhou Olympic Sports Centre Gymnasium, Ratchanok emerged as the 21-17, 21-10 winner in the 38-minute encounter.

Meanwhile, in Group A, Korea’s top seed Se Young and Akane Yamaguchi finished at the top of the standings, securing their places in the semifinals.

Se Young topped the group unbeaten, finishing with three wins from three matches, while Yamaguchi ended second with two wins from three matches. Indonesia’s Putri Kusuma Wardani ended third with one point, from one win in three matches, while Tomoka Miyazaki finished last in the four-player group with three losses and no points.

Se Young defeated fourth-seed Yamaguchi in three hard-fought games, coming back after losing the first game to win 13-21, 21-5, 21-14 in 47 minutes.

In a match played on the same Court 2, Indonesia’s Putri defeated Tomoka Miyazaki of Japan in two games, winning 21-17, 21-9 in 38 minutes.

In the evening session, India’s Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty will hope to end their group proceedings with a win over second seeds, Aaron Chia and Soh Wooi Yik of Malaysia, in a Group B encounter.

Earlier on Thursday. India’s top men’s doubles pair, Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty, registered their second successive win at the BWF World Tour Finals 2025, defeating Indonesia’s Fajar Alfian and Muhammad Shohibul Fikri in a pulsating three-game contest.

The Indian pair, ranked No.3 in the world, showed authority and composure to win 21-11, 16-21, 21-11, extending their unbeaten run in Group B and moving into a strong position for a semi-final berth.

–IANS

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