Shibata recorded a battling seven-game win against Zhu before she dispatched South Korea's Jeon Ji-hee 17-15, 15-13, 7-11, 12-10, 11-5 at the Sports Center Gymnasium.

The Japanese player will take on three-time Olympic gold medallist and 2017 world champion Ding Ning of China for a place in the final.

Ding booked her semi-final berth by defeating Japan's Hitomi Sato 11-8, 10-12, 11-6, 15-13, 14-12.

The other two quarter-finals in the women's draw are due to be held tomorrow as China's Wang Manyu takes on Germany's Han Ying and Mima Ito of Japan plays compatriot and second seed Kasumi Ishikawa.

In the men's tournament, top seed Fan Zhendong of China cruised through to the last eight with a 12-10, 11-5, 11-8, 11-7 victory over Frenchman Emmanuel Lebesson.

Fan, runner-up at last year's World Championships, will face Koki Niwa of Japan in the quarter-finals tomorrow.

Japanese teenage sensation Tomokazu Harimoto claimed a superb win over China's Zhang Jike, the three-time Olympic champion, in the earlier rounds but was unable to get past the last 16 as he was beaten by Lin Gaoyuan of China.

Lin eased to an 11-2, 11-8, 12-10, 7-11, 11-4 win against the 14-year-old to set up a meeting with another Japanese player in Jun Mizutani.

Ma Long joined compatriot Fan in the quarter-finals by ousting team-mate Wang Chuqin 9-11, 11-3, 11-7, 11-9, 11-8.

The tournament in the Chinese city continues tomorrow.