The China Badminton Open kicked off on the 17th in Changzhou, Jiangsu. China’s men’s singles player Shi Yuqi successfully advanced to the Round of 16, while China’s top men’s doubles pair, the Liang/Wang duo, won 2-0 against the Popov brothers from France to move into the next round.
After the Paris Olympics, Shi Yuqi currently ranked No. 1 in the men’s singles world rankings, showed some fluctuations in form. In the previous Japan and Korea Opens, he reached the semifinals and quarterfinals, respectively. As the top seed in this event, much is expected of this Chinese men’s singles star.
In the first round, Shi faced Thailand’s Kantaphon Wangcharoen, a player he had met six times before. Shi easily won the first game 21-10. In the second game, Wangcharoen adapted to Shi’s shot variations and managed to level the score and even take the lead at times. However, Shi Yuqi’s composure in crucial moments secured a 21-19 victory, advancing him to the second round.
In men’s doubles, the highly anticipated Chinese “Liang/Wang duo” of Liang Weikeng and Wang Chang made their post-Olympic debut. Facing the Popov brothers from France in the first round, the duo saved two game points in the first set to win 22-20. In the second set, they found their rhythm in serves and returns, winning comfortably 21-16.
Other Chinese players also had strong starts on the first day. Wang Zhiyi defeated Denmark’s Mia Blichfeldt 2-0 to reach the Round of 16, while mixed doubles pair Cheng Xing/Zhang Chi and women’s doubles duo Li Wenmei/Zhang Shuxian also advanced after defeating their respective opponents.
This China Open is the first BWF World Tour Super 1000 event since the Paris Olympics and has attracted over 200 top athletes from around the world. Some notable absences include China’s top women’s singles player, Tokyo Olympic champion Chen Yufei, Paris Olympic mixed doubles champions Zheng Siwei/Huang Yaqiong, and Korea’s women’s singles champion from Paris, An Se Young.
