Thai badminton star Ratchanok Intanon defeated compatriot Busanan Ongbamrungphan to move into the semi-finals of the US$350,000 BWF India Open yesterday.
The Thai fourth seed needed 44 minutes to overcome Busanan 21-18, 21-19 at KD Jadhav Indoor Hall in New Delhi.
The 23-year-old Ratchanok, who is chasing her second crown of the year, will take on seventh seed Han Yue of China in the last four today.
World No.8 Ratchanok won the Malaysia Masters in January and was a finalist at the German Open in February.
Han, who knocked out another Thai player Chanadchida Jucharoen in the last-16 round on Thursday, beat Cheung Ngan Yi of Hong Kong 22-20, 21-14 in the other quarter-final match.
In the bottom half of the draw, second seed PV Sindhu of India was due to play No.8 seed Mia Blichfeldt of Denmark, with the winner taking on either sixth seed Zhang Beiwen of the US or third seed He Bingjiao of China.
Jongkolphan Kititharakul and Rawinda Prajongjai are the only other Thai players who made it to the weekend rounds of the New Delhi tournament.
The second seeded pair reached the last four of the women's doubles event after they eased past Aparna Balan and KP Sruthi of India 21-8, 21-11.
However eighth seeded compatriots Chayanit Chaladchalam and Phataimas Muenwong failed to progress, losing to Malaysia's third-seeded pair of Chow Mei Kuan and Lee Meng Yean 14-21, 12-21.
Khosit Phetpradab, the only Thai left in the men's singles event, was sent packing by China's Huang Yuxiang. The seventh seed lost in straight games 16-21, 15-21 in 48 minutes.
Huang next faces third seed Srikanth Kidambi of India in the semi-finals today.
Seventh seeds Nipitphon Phuangphuapet and Savitree Amitrapai fell to top seeds Wang Yilyu and Huang Dongping of China 18-21, 7-21 in 34 minutes in the mixed doubles event.
