The badminton upsets keep rolling in as rising Japanese star Akane Yamaguchi and third seed India's Saina Nehwal were on Friday bundled out of the Yonex-Sunrise Hong Kong Open in straight games.
Yamaguchi's compatriot Nozomi Okuhara - the former world junior champion who was almost a forgotten name after two serious injuries - surprised all to sweep aside her rival 21-15, 21-11 at the Coliseum.
In the semi-finals, 19-year-old Okuhara will face reigning world champion Carolina Marin of Spain, who accounted for Malaysian Tee Jing Yi, while China's Liu Xin will meet Taiwan's Tai Tzu-ying. Liu beat Minatsu Mitani of Japan 21-19, 21-15.
I thought my career was over after the second serious injury, but thanks to the support of people around me, I can play again although there is still pain
Liu is China's last hope after the early exit of their top seeds, Wang Shixian and Wang Yihan.
"I am so happy. This is my first Superseries of the year and the first time I've made it to the semi-finals of a tournament," said Okuhara, who only came back in April after hurting both knees in the New Zealand Open.
"I thought my career was over after the second serious injury, but thanks to the support of people around me, I can play again although there is still pain."
After clinching the world junior title in 2012, Okuhara was considered a star of the new generation, but a meniscus injury early last year stopped her from playing for almost a year.