SUI Yu Qi resists Victor LAI to reach final
It's one of the great stories of these TotalEnergies BWF World Championships. Young Canadian player Victor LAI (no. 50) finds himself in the semifinals against world no. 1 SHI Yu Qi (China). Still relatively unknown on the international circuit, he caused a sensation by first eliminating LU Guang Zu (no. 11, China), and later, LOH Kean Yew (no. 9, Singapore). Impervious to pressure, questions remain as to his ability to shake SHI Yu Qi.
The start of this match sets the tone : it will be a duel of stamina. Both players' defenses were impressive, leading to lengthy rallies. The world number 1 can't find the gaps and, despite exceptional net play, grows impatient, missing several shuttles. This allows the young Canadian to take the lead at the break (11/8). The Chinese player, despite his varied play, still can't break through his opponent's defense and ultimately concedes the first set in front of a shocked crowd (13/21).
The second set began, and the outsider seemed to lose his edge, perhaps caught by the pressure of the moment. After a few errors, however, he seemed to recover and regain the momentum of the first set. He returns all of the world number 1's shuttles, forcing him into errors and allowing him to catch up at the break, trailing by only one point to the winner of last month's Victor China Open. The end of the set was unbearable, with several match points, but it was ultimately SHI Yu Qi's experience that won the match (22/20).
The final set promised to be difficult for the no. 50 seed, exhausted after two grueling sets. Victor LAI struggles to come to terms with the end of the second set and becomes less offensive, seeming content to return shuttlecocks. The break doesn’t allow the Yonex Pan American Champion to regain enough strength to turn the tide. Despite the cheers of the crowd, who seemed to have chosen his side, he is still trailing by six points entering the money time and ultimately lost with honors (16/21).
Victor LAI: "I'm very proud of myself, because I don't think anyone, including me, thought I would make it this far in this competition. The atmosphere in the arena was fantastic, with over a thousand people shouting my name." (…) I'm proud to have been able to represent my country and show that, even though Canada isn't a great badminton nation, we have good players who can compete against the best in the world. When I return to Canada, even though I'll be resuming my studies, I'll focus more on my badminton career."
The final obstacle for SHI Yu Qi (no. 1, China) will be the winner of the duel between no. 3 Kunlavut VITIDSARN (Thailand) and no. 2 Anders ANTONSEN (Denmark).