Shi Yuqi: Two Titles in Three Months – A Bright Spot in the Short 2022 Season

Jayce September 6, 2024 2 0

For the first eight months of 2022, Shi Yuqi spent his days in solitary training due to a suspension. The last four months saw him gradually finding his form on the court after an early lift of the suspension. Competing in six tournaments and winning two titles, Shi Yuqi, once China’s top male shuttler and the world’s number two, concluded 2022 on a relatively positive note. Can he reclaim his former glory and bring hope back to China’s men’s singles badminton?

At the beginning of the year, when the top Chinese badminton players set off for Germany to start their point-grabbing season amidst the cold spring, Shi Yuqi, suspended for inappropriate comments after last year’s Thomas Cup semifinals, stayed behind in China. He endured the monotony of daily training and low-intensity internal matches with second-tier teammates.

With Chen Long resting and Shi Yuqi suspended, the performance of China’s men’s singles group was far from satisfactory in the first half of the year. Though Weng Hongyang clinched a title when top players were absent, he soon faded. Lu Guangzu and Zhao Junpeng, the only players eligible for high-level tournaments, consistently delivered mediocre performances, hovering in the second tier. Li Shifeng also failed to stand out. At the Thomas Cup, both the men’s singles and doubles teams failed to reach the semifinals, tying the worst historical performance for China.

How could such a men’s singles team compete in the year’s most important individual event, the World Championships? Thus, the coaching team decided to lift Shi Yuqi’s suspension early. Of course, his return was not smooth. After being away from international competition for ten months, it was unrealistic to expect an immediate return to form, especially given the injuries before the Tokyo Olympics that had already distanced him from the top players. Losing in the round of 16 to Indonesia’s Jonatan Christie, whom he had never lost to before, wasn’t a poor result. Over the three matches at the World Championships, Shi Yuqi’s form improved with each game.

At the subsequent Japan Open, Shi Yuqi advanced further, reaching the semifinals, only to lose to Taiwan’s top player. This was also an acceptable outcome, considering that both Jonatan Christie and Chou Tien-chen are top players, and Shi Yuqi had not yet fully regained his form to compete with them.

Returning to Jinjiang for training to prepare for the European season, Shi Yuqi was well-prepared this time. He also had some luck, as his first-round opponent at the Denmark Open, Anders Antonsen, withdrew. Otherwise, it was uncertain whether Shi Yuqi could advance. Facing tougher challenges thereafter, Shi Yuqi first avenged his earlier loss to Chou Tien-chen in the quarterfinals, narrowly defeated Japan’s young star Kodai Naraoka in the semifinals, and overcame Malaysia’s top player Lee Zii Jia in the finals. In his third tournament since his return, Shi Yuqi claimed the championship, his first men’s singles title in three years.

Was this the start of his “rebirth as a top player”? It wasn’t that simple. At the subsequent French Open and German Hylo Open, Shi Yuqi lost in the first round to Thailand’s Kunlavut Vitidsarn and Singapore’s Loh Kean Yew, respectively, suffering back-to-back early exits. The reasons for these losses differed: the former due to inadequate physical preparation and poor condition, the latter due to not yet fully recovering his skills to compete with top opponents. At the last tour of the year, the Australian Open, he smoothly defeated Kanta Tsuneyama and Weng Hongyang in the first two rounds, avenged his loss to Loh Kean Yew in the quarterfinals, and won against Kodai Naraoka in the semifinals, setting up an all-Chinese final against Lu Guangzu. In this unexpected men’s singles showdown, Shi Yuqi defeated his teammate, ending his short yet significant 2022 season with a title.

The short season consisted of only six tournaments over three months. The significance of winning two titles was profound, both for Shi Yuqi himself and for China’s men’s singles. With Lu Guangzu and Zhao Junpeng struggling to make significant breakthroughs and young players not progressing quickly enough, Shi Yuqi has rekindled hope for the men’s singles category.

Of course, everything is still in progress. The 2022 season has concluded for Shi Yuqi, and the finals are irrelevant to him. He can focus on winter training and prepare for next year’s Olympic qualification events. If he maintains a positive mindset and further improves his technical and tactical abilities, Shi Yuqi in the coming year remains highly anticipated.