Fan saved four match points before being beaten in the quarter-finals by Ma, nicknamed 'The Dictator', who triumphed 11-4, 8-11, 11-6, 12-10, 13-11.

Ma will play Japanese number-four seed Tomokazu Harimoto, who won a stunning 13-stroke rally en route to beating Hong Kong’s 14th seed Wong Chun Ting 11-7, 11-5, 11-3, 10-12, 12-10.

Germany's Timo Boll ended any European interest in the men's singles as he lost at the quarter-final stage.

The fifth seed was outclassed by Xu Xin 11-4, 11-7, 11-9, 11-6.

Xu will play Lin Gaoyuan in the semi-final, who followed his miraculous second-round recovery – where he saved five match points – with a similarly convoluted path though his game with fellow Chinese player Liang Jingkun.

After winning the first three games against the number nine seed, he lost the next three before securing the seventh and the overall win.

In the decider, Lin led 5-1 before being pulled back to 6-5. 

He called a time-out, recovered his senses and secured victory on his third match point – 11-9, 11-9, 11-9, 8-11, 6-11, 6-11, 11-8.

In the women's singles, top seed and local hero Ding Ning is out after being vanquished by number seven seed, Japan's Mima Ito, 7-11, 12-10, 18-16, 13-11, 11-9.

The Japanese teenager will play number-four seed and defending champion Wang Manyu in the semi final.

Wang beat Liu Shiwen – crowned world champion in Budapest a month ago – 11-6, 11-4, 6-11, 11-4, 13-11.

The other women's semi-final has been set up according to seedings – China’s Zhu Yuling, the number-two seed, will face third-ranked Chen Meng.

Meng sealed victory over the number-14 seed, Chinese compatriot Chen Xingtong, 11-9, 11-5, 11-3, 11-7, while Zhu beat Chinese Taipei’s Cheng I-Ching, the number eight seed, 7-11, 14-12, 11-7, 11-4, 11-5.

The doubles competitions concluded on Saturday. 

In the men's competition, home favourites Ma and Wang Chuqin were outclassed by the German pair of Boll and Patrick Franziska in straight sets, 11-8, 11-7, 11-5.

There was an upset in the women's final.

Qualifiers Gu Yuting and Liu Shiwen, playing their first tournament as a pair, beat top seeds Wang Manyu and Zhu Yuling in straight sets, 11-7, 12-10, 11-9.

The top-seeded pair also lost in the final of the mixed doubles – Hong Kong's Wong Chun Ting and Doo Hoi Kem lost to fourth seeds Lin Yun-ju and Cheng I-Ching from Chinese Taipei, who recovered from a game down to triumph 10-12, 11-6, 11-1, 11-5.