Hosts and defending champions China booked their place in badminton’s Sudirman Cup semifinals with a 3-0 win over Malaysia on Friday, while Japan also advanced after beating Taiwan in the quarter-finals by the same score. The biennial mixed team championship saw a rematch between world number four mixed doubles pair Chen Tang Jie and Toh Ee Wei from Malaysia and China’s Feng Yan Zhe and Huang Dong Ping. While the Malaysian pair won at the Paris Games, they couldn’t repeat the feat as they went down 21-17 21-17 in the opener. Malaysia’s Leong Jun Hao, facing world number one Shi Yu Qi for the first time, was outclassed 21-6 21-14 in the men’s singles. Compatriot Karupathevan Letshanaa later suffered a 21-8 21-7 loss to Tokyo Olympic champion Chen Yu Fei in the women’s singles. With the result sealed in just under two hours, the men’s and women’s doubles were not contested. Malaysia, who claimed bronze in the last two editions, have now lost all of their five Sudirman Cup meetings to date against 13-times champions China. Japan took three hours to defeat Taiwan 3-0. Hiroki Midorikawa and Arisa Igarashi breezed past Ye Hong Wei and Hu Ling Fang 21-18 21-18 in mixed doubles. World number 16 Koki Watanabe overcame seventh-ranked Chou Tien Chen 21-13 20-22 21-14 in the men’s singles, and world number four Akane Yamaguchi beat Wei Chi Hsu 21-9 17-21 21-18 in the women’s singles to seal Japan’s sixth straight semifinal appearance.