Chinese sweep semis spots to secure women's singles title

World number one Ding Ning spearheaded an all-inspiring Chinese contingent to take all four spots in women's singles semifinals and secure the title in advance for the host on Friday.

Ding survived one of the toughest matches in these championships, overcoming teammate Wu Yang 4-3 (11-8, 11-7, 11-5, 7-11, 6-11, 8-11, 11-8) in the quarter-finals.

Wu could leave the court with her head up, fighting from three sets down to level 3-3. Trailing 8-10 in the seventh set, Wu managed to save one match point, but Ding, who is looking for her second singles title since 2011, converted the second to take the match.

Defending champion Li Xiaoxia also met trouble in her quarterfinal match, fighting from two sets down to oust Japanese teenager Mima Ito 9-11, 14-16, 11-2, 11-7, 13-11, 11-2.

Ito, 14, looked on course for an upset when she took the first two sets with her sizzling attack while Li, 13 years Ito's senior, seemed to be pushed to the corners.

Li, the 2012 London Olympics champion, finally found her rhythm to reel off the next four sets and clinched the semifinal berth.

Unlike Ding and Li, Liu Shiwen and Mu Zi followed different paths en route to the semifinals as they both made short work of their respective opponents.

Liu, ranked second in the world, sent teammate Zhu Yuling packing in a score of 11-3, 8-11, 11-5, 11-7, 11-3, while Mu Zi downed Singapore's world No. 4 Feng Tianwei 11-5, 11-2, 11-9, 11-5.

In the semifinals, Ding will take on Mu while Liu faces Li. Endi