In an exciting turn at the All England Badminton Championships, China’s top seeds Shi Yuqi and Li Shifeng are set to face each other in the men’s singles semifinals after both secured straight-game victories in Birmingham on Friday.
The 29-year-old Shi Yuqi, the tournament’s top seed, showcased his prowess by defeating Singapore’s Loh Kean Yew with a score of 21-18, 21-16. Earlier, sixth seed Li Shifeng powered past India’s Lakshya Sen 21-10, 21-16.
The upcoming clash between Shi and Li on Saturday promises to be a thrilling rematch of the 2023 All England final, where Li clinched the title in his debut appearance in Birmingham.
Meanwhile, the other men’s singles semifinal will feature France’s Alex Lanier against Lee Chia-hao from Chinese Taipei. The 20-year-old Lanier impressed fans by defeating Wang Tzu-wei of Chinese Taipei in straight games and is the only semifinalist not from Asia.
In the women’s singles, China’s Tokyo Olympic champion Chen Yufei was outplayed by South Korea’s top seed An Se-young, losing 21-9, 21-14. An will next face Japan’s star player Akane Yamaguchi, who overcame her 18-year-old teammate Tomoka Miyazaki 26-24, 21-16.
The other women’s singles semifinal is set to be an all-Chinese encounter between Wang Zhiyi and Han Yue, adding further excitement for fans.
In doubles action, the women’s semifinals will see China and Japan battling for supremacy. In mixed doubles, three Chinese pairs have reached the semifinals, while He Jiting and Ren Xiangyu remain China’s sole hope in the men’s doubles competition.
