China's Li Shi Feng returns a shot during the men's semi final match against Denmark's Anders Antonsen in the All England Open Badminton Championships at the Utilita Arena in Birmingham, England, Saturday, March 18, 2023. (AP Photo/Rui Vieira)
PETALING JAYA: China’s shuttlers could dominate in the men’s singles again if their superb showing in the All-England is anything to go by.
World No. 12 Shi Yuqi and compatriot and world No. 14 Li Shifeng made it a grand day for China by reaching the final of the prestigious tournament after contrasting victories.
2018 champion Yuqi was in commanding form when he secured a 21-19, 21-13 win over 2021 winner Lee Zii Jia at the Utilita Arena in Birmingham on Saturday.
Shifeng, on the other hand, had to work harder to stave off a spirited challenge from Denmark’s Anders Antonsen before prevailing 21-11, 19-21, 21-18 in a thrilling 95-minute semi-final match.
The last time China made it a 1-2 finish in a big tournament was in the 2019 Malaysian Open where former great Lin Dan triumphing over Chen Long. And the last All-England which featured two Chinese players in the final was in 2018 when Yuqi came out on top against Lin Dan.
Lin Dan and Chen Long had dominated the sport in their heydays and instilled fear in their opponents whenever they stepped on court.
Lin Dan had captured the Olympics gold in 2008 and 2012 while Chen Long took home the title in 2016.
The former has also won all the titles available in the sport.
After both hung up their rackets, China have struggled to fill the void with Denmark’s world No. 1 Viktor Axelsen powering in to dominate the sport.
Yuqi was seen as the man most capable of filling Lin Dan and Chen Long’s big shoes when he rose to a career-high No. 2 in the world rankings in 2017.
A 10-month ban at the end of 2021 for indiscipline looked to have derailed his progress but he has slowly found his feet again on his return last August.
“It’s possible for China’s men’s singles players to dominate again,” said national men’s singles coach and 2001 world champion Hendrawan.
“If you see now, they have five players ranked in the world’s top 30, who all have similar standards.
“While I believe that for now, it’s still a bit hard for them to reach the levels of Lin Dan and Chen Long but given time, this could happen.”
Besides, Yuqi and Shifeng, the others ranked in the top 30 are Lu Guangzu (No. 10), 2022 World Championships bronze medallist Zhao Junpeng (No. 13) and Weng Honyang (No. 27).
During Lin Dan’s era, China also boasted strength in depth with the likes of Chen Jin and Bao Chunlai in their ranks.
Now, with the one-year qualification race for the 2024 Paris Olympics set to begin in May, China could again have the same depth as their shuttlers look to compete against each other and the rest of the playing field in a bid to fill up the two slots given to each country by finishing in the top 16.
China's Li Shi Feng returns a shot during the men's semi final match against Denmark's Anders Antonsen in the All England Open Badminton Championships at the Utilita Arena in Birmingham, England, Saturday, March 18, 2023. (AP Photo/Rui Vieira)
Badminton - All England Open Badminton Championships - Utilita Arena, Birmingham, Britain - March 18, 2023 China's Shi Yuqi in action during his semi final match against Malaysia's Lee Zii Jia Action Images via Reuters/Andrew Boyers
