Digging deep: China’s Li Shifeng in action against India’s H. S. Prannoy during their men’s singles second round match.
KUALA LUMPUR: Birthdays have become just another day for China’s men’s singles shuttler Lee Shifeng, who is fully focused on his journey in the fiercely competitive sport.
Yesterday, world No. 7 Shifeng had to dig deep to beat India’s world No. 26 H. S. Prannoy 21-8, 15-21, 23-21 in a thrilling second round match of the Malaysian Open at the Axiata Arena in Bukit Jalil.
Shifeng, who celebrated his 25th birthday yesterday, was expressionless when asked about his feelings after winning such a hard-fought match on his birthday.
“To be honest, birthdays doesn’t mean much to me anymore,” said Shifeng.
“My focus is entirely on competitions and matches.
“But still, having a good start on my birthday is certainly nice, and it motivates me to keep pushing forward.
“Right now, I feel a bit mentally drained, so I can’t give a very clear answer.
“My only hope is to stay healthy.”
The second round match was both mentally and physically a challenge for Shifeng.
It was straightforward in the first game, but despite leading 9-5 in the second game, Prannoy mounted a strong comeback, levelling the score at 10-10 before winning.
It was the same pattern in the decider when Prannoy crawled back from 6-13 to level at 15-15 before Shifeng stood solid to save three match points before winning.
“It was definitely a challenging match. The final 11 points were a constant tug-of-war, which made the process quite gruelling,” said Shifeng.
“So, all I did was stay focused, fighting for every point while keeping a relaxed mindset and thinking positively.
“It has been a while since I’ve experienced such a tough win, but it has added valuable experience to my career.”
Shifeng will take on Taiwan’s world No. 32 Chi Yu-jen in the quarter-finals today.
Yu-jen produced a power-packed performance to topple Hong Kong’s world No. 21 Lee Cheuk Yiu 15-21, 21-14, 21-12 in another second round match.
Shifeng holds a clear advantage in their head-to-head record, having triumphed in all three of their previous encounters.
