Supanida Katethong booked her berth in the quarter-finals of the US$420,000 BWF Masters Japan in Kumamoto yesterday.
The Thai world No.15 was joined by women's doubles pairs Jongkolphan Kititharakul/Rawinda Prajongjai and Aimsaard sisters -- Benyapa and Nuntakarn -- in the last eight of the World Tour Super 500 event.
Supanida will have a toughest possible assignment in her bid to make it to the semi-finals as she will face top seed An Se-Young today. The South Korean world No.1 defeated Gao Fangjie of China 21-15, 21-18.
Supanida won her first World Tour title at the US Open -- a Super 300 event -- in July.
Top seeds Jongkolphan and Rawinda overcame Linda Efler and Isabel Lohau of Germany 21-12, 22-20 and will meet Mayu Matsumoto and Wakana Nagahara of Japan in the last eight.
Benyapa and Nuntakarn, meanwhile, eased past Nicole Gonzales Chan and Yang Chu-yin of Taiwan 21-9, 21-11. They will play China's Liu Shengshu and Tan Ning in today's quarters.
Supanida Katethong of Thailand will face top seed An Se-Young of South Korea in the quarter-finals today. RICHARD A. BROOKS
Men's doubles pair Pharanyu Kaosamaang and Worrapol Thongsa-nga bowed out after losing to eighth seeds Ong Yew Sin and Teo Ee Yi of Malaysia 21-14, 15-21, 15-21.
Another Thai hope Lalinrat Chaiwan also exited the tournament after losing to fourth seed Tai Tzu-ying of Taiwan 18-21, 15-21 in the women's singles.
Tai will face seventh seed Zhang Beiwen of the US in the last eight.
Zhang knocked out Kirsty Gilmour of Scotland 21-13, 21-14.
In other notable results yesterday, men's top seed Viktor Axelsen rallied to defeat Ng Tze Yong of Malaysia 20-22, 21-11, 21-18, women's third seed Chen Yufei advanced with a 23-21, 21-2 win over Tomoka Miyazaki of Japan, and fifth seed Carolina Marin of Spain needed a fightback against Aya Ohori of Japan to win 15-21, 21-15, 21-15.