BIRMINGHAM – China’s Li Shifeng said it was “payback for all the hard work” after he recorded the biggest win of his career on Sunday, as he defeated compatriot Shi Yuqi in the men’s singles final of the All England Open to emulate hero Lin Dan.
The 23-year-old proved too strong for 2018 champion Shi as he won 26-24, 21-5 after a marathon three-game semi-final against Denmark’s Anders Antonsen that lasted 95 minutes.
His only previous senior tournament triumph had come at Super 100 level, but the success in Birmingham enabled Li to call himself a Super 1000 champion.
It also meant he had won the oldest of badminton’s major events, with the All England – for many years an unofficial world championship – first staged in 1899.
“I am very excited,” said Li. “I don’t really have the words to express my feeling for the moment.
“It is a huge payback for all the hard work I’ve put in.
“Although I’ve got the All England title, I would like to aim for more titles.”
China’s now retired Lin, widely regarded as the greatest player of all time, won two Olympic gold medals, five world titles and six All England crowns in a stellar career.
“Lin Dan has been my idol from a very young age,” said Li.
“He’s a lot of players’ idol.”
In the women’s event, world No. 2 An Se-young became the first South Korean singles player to win an All England title in 27 years with a thrilling victory over Olympic champion Chen Yufei.
An, 21, who lost to world No. 1 Akane Yamaguchi in last year’s final, won a gruelling contest 21-17, 10-21, 21-19 in an hour and 15 minutes.
The third game was all square at 17-17 when An won the next three points before sealing victory at the third time of asking.
“I feel I’m not left behind. I should be confident in my ability,” said Chen.
“Although Yamaguchi and An are top in the rankings and have played consistently for a long time, I have the opportunities to beat them as long as I handle all the details well.”
Men’s doubles top seeds Fajar Alfian and Muhammad Rian Ardianto defeated fellow Indonesians Mohammad Ahsan, 35, and Hendra Setiawan, 38 – “the Daddies” – 21-17, 21-14.
Ahsan injured his left knee just before match point.
Said Ardianto: “They are an exceptional pairing.
“Even at their age, they compete at an incredible level with their commitment to the game and making sure they’re always prepared.”
Alfian and Ardianto were the fourth different All England men’s doubles champions from Indonesia in six years.
Said Hendra: “They are ranked No. 1 in the world and this is good for them.
“My advice for them is never be satisfied. Keep having another go.”
In the women’s doubles, Olympic bronze medallists Kim So-yeong and Kong Hee-yong overwhelmed fellow South Koreans Baek Ha-na and Lee So-hee 21-5, 21-12.
“We did not expect to win the All England as we have not been playing that well recently,” said Kim.
“We hope we can (use this) to win gold at the (2024 Paris) Olympics because it’s such a big tournament.”
Mixed doubles world champions Zheng Siwei and Huang Yaqiong defeated the Koreans Seo Seung-jae and Chae Yu-jung 21-16, 16-21, 21-12 as the Chinese pair regained an All England title they won in 2019.
“Although we took home 10 titles last year, this year is a new beginning,” said 29-year-old Huang, who had paired up with Zheng to take silver at the Tokyo Olympics.
“We will start our journey for the Olympic qualification soon and I hope we will be in our best form.” AFP, XINHUA
