Birmingham, England — In an electrifying display of skill, China’s badminton stars are ready to light up the All England Championships! The top seed Shi Yuqi and the dynamic Li Shifeng both clinched impressive straight-set wins on Friday, setting the stage for a semifinal showdown that echoes last year’s epic final.
Shi Yuqi overcame Singapore’s Loh Kean Yew with scores of 21-18, 21-16, while 6th seed Li Shifeng dominated India’s Lakshya Sen 21-10, 21-16. This highly anticipated matchup is a rematch of the 2023 final, where Li was crowned champion on his debut in Birmingham! 🏸
On the other side of the draw, French prodigy Alex Lanier— the only non-Asian semifinalist—will face Lee Chia-hao from Chinese Taipei after Lanier’s decisive win against Wang Tzu-wei. Meanwhile, the women’s singles have delivered dramatic twists: China’s Tokyo Olympic champion Chen Yufei was bested by South Korea’s top seed An Se-young, who charged to a 21-9, 21-14 victory.
Next, An will lock horns with Japanese ace Akane Yamaguchi, who edged out her 18-year-old teammate Tomoka Miyazaki in a nail-biting contest (26-24, 21-16). A Chinese duel is set in the other women’s semifinal as Wang Zhiyi battles Han Yue.
Doubles action intensifies too. The women’s doubles semifinal showcases a fierce contest between China and Japan, while three Chinese pairs have advanced in the mixed doubles. In the men’s doubles, all eyes are on He Jiting and Ren Xiangyu as China’s sole medal hope.
With high stakes and star-studded matchups, badminton fans are in for a weekend full of non-stop excitement and unforgettable moments on Birmingham’s courts! 🎉
Reference(s):
China's Shi, Li to lock horns at All England Badminton semifinals
cgtn.com
