On October 9th, during the men’s singles event at the 2024 Arctic Badminton Open, Lei Lanxi, fresh off his runner-up finish at the Hong Kong Open, lost 1-2 (17-21, 29-27, 16-21) to Japan’s Yushi Tanaka, exiting in the first round.
The match lasted 91 minutes, with Lei winning the second game after a closely contested 29-27 battle. Unfortunately, despite leading 15-12 in the deciding game, he allowed his opponent to mount a 9-1 run and lost the match.
In another match, Weng Hongyang, this year’s China Open champion, also exited in the first round, losing 11-21, 14-21 to Kunlavut Vitidsarn.
Now, only Li Shifeng and Lu Guangzu remain for China in the men’s singles. Li Shifeng will face Lee Cheuk Yiu in the Round of 16, holding a 3-0 head-to-head record. Meanwhile, Lu Guangzu will take on Koki Watanabe, with Lu having a 2-0 record against the Japanese player.
Facing his former rival Anthony Sinisuka Ginting, Shi Yuqi suffered a crushing defeat, losing 11-21, 9-21, and ending his journey at the China Open early. In the men’s singles round of 16 on September 19, world No. 1 Shi Yuqi still appeared passive in his performance.
Once upon a time, Shi Yuqi had dominated Ginting, winning 11 of their previous 13 matches. However, this latest defeat marks his third loss to Ginting since his return in 2022. After making his comeback at the World Championships in 2022, Shi Yuqi lost to Ginting in a grueling three-game battle. He was again defeated in the group stage of last year’s BWF World Tour Finals, where Ginting made a comeback. Compared to those matches, this time, Shi Yuqi was dispatched in just 27 minutes, with even his coach Sun Jun, who has trained him since childhood, shaking his head in disbelief from the sidelines.
When he was trailing 3-15 in the second game, Shi Yuqi requested a medical timeout to treat injuries to his left foot and back.
Since his disappointing quarterfinal finish at the Paris Olympics, Shi Yuqi has repeatedly expressed negative emotions. After defeating former world No. 1 Son Wan Ho at the Korea Open, he jokingly remarked, “I, the weakest world No. 1, have finally beaten him today.” When asked about his newly dyed hair, he responded, “I used to be afraid of perming it, but now that I’m close to retirement, why not change it up?” After winning his first-round match at the China Open, he couldn’t help but complain, “I didn’t perform well at the Olympics, so now I’m working overtime. The ones who played well are attending concerts, while I’m stuck here.”
After his second-round elimination, Shi Yuqi, who often speaks sarcastically, commented, “Today’s result was caused by both mental and physical injuries. I think I played pretty well.”
Having competed in three tournaments since the Olympics, Shi Yuqi has expressed confusion about how to change his current situation. He also thanked fans who urged him to rest, saying, “I’m also thinking about whether I should continue or if this is enough.” In the short term, however, Shi Yuqi still has a goal: to qualify for the year-end BWF World Tour Finals. “I need to participate in at least two more tournaments to secure enough points,” he said.
The year-end BWF World Tour Finals, held in Hangzhou, is the last tournament of the season. According to the rules, the top eight players from each discipline, based on their best 14 tournament results, will qualify for the finals, with a maximum of two players (or pairs) per association. Shi Yuqi, currently ranked world No. 1, is fighting for more ranking points.
In this tournament, China’s top three male singles players (Shi Yuqi, Li Shifeng, and Lu Guangzu) were all eliminated early, while Weng Hongyang and Lei Lanxi performed admirably. Weng Hongyang, who defeated Lee Cheuk Yiu in the first round, came from behind to beat Chou Tien Chen 20-22, 21-18, 21-15 in the second round. Lei Lanxi, who previously knocked out Olympic champion Viktor Axelsen, comfortably defeated Kenta Nishimoto 21-8, 21-17.
Additionally, the highly anticipated men’s doubles pair Liang Weikeng/Wang Chang were defeated 19-21, 21-18, 17-21 by Fikri/Maulana, falling short of reaching the quarterfinals.
The final Super 1000 event of the 2024 BWF World Tour, the China Open, will kick off on September 17 in Changzhou, Jiangsu, coinciding with the Mid-Autumn Festival. According to the latest information from the Chinese Badminton Association on September 16, and the draw released by the event organizers, China’s top women’s singles player and Tokyo Olympic champion, Chen Yufei, as well as Paris Olympic mixed doubles champions, Zheng Siwei and Huang Yaqiong, will not be participating in this tournament. While fans may be disappointed by their absence, China’s objective remains unchanged: to achieve strong results in all five events, reach the finals in each, and secure as many titles as possible on home soil.
Following the Thomas and Uber Cup, this is the second top-level badminton event held in China this year, and the last Super 1000 event of the 2024 BWF World Tour. The China Open has attracted more than 200 top athletes from 21 countries and regions, with a total prize pool of $2 million, and increased ranking points. Unfortunately, the Chinese Badminton Association’s latest entry list, released on September 16, confirms that newly crowned Olympic mixed doubles champions Zheng Siwei and Huang Yaqiong will not participate, despite being listed as the top seeds on the initial draw just last week. Additionally, China’s top women’s singles player, Chen Yufei, will also be absent. Reports had suggested she would return at the China Open, but she has opted to protect her ranking after the Paris Olympics, and her participation was never confirmed. It is now official that Chen Yufei will continue to stay off the court.
Despite these absences, China is still sending a strong lineup, determined to perform well at this important home tournament.
China’s men’s singles players are led by Paris Olympic participants Shi Yuqi and Li Shifeng, with Lu Guangzu, Weng Hongyang, and Lei Lanxi also competing. On the international front, nearly all the world’s top players have arrived in Changzhou, including Olympic gold, silver, and bronze medalists Viktor Axelsen, Kunlavut Vitidsarn, and Lee Zii Jia, as well as Kento Momota, Chou Tien-Chen, and others. It will be a tough battle for China to secure the men’s singles title.
In women’s singles, China’s Wang Zhiyi, Han Yue, Zhang Yiman, and Gao Fangjie are all placed in the top half of the draw, which is not an ideal situation. The top two seeds are Paris Olympic champion An Se-Young and Chinese Taipei’s veteran Tai Tzu-Ying, with Japan’s Akane Yamaguchi also in the mix. Apart from the injured Spanish player Carolina Marín and Chen Yufei, almost all of the world’s top female players are present.
In men’s doubles, all eyes are on the much-anticipated return of Liang Weikeng and Wang Chang, the Paris Olympic silver medalists. The duo had missed the Japan, Korea, and Hong Kong Opens after the Olympics but are back on the court for this event, bolstering China’s hopes of claiming the men’s doubles title. They are also the reigning champions of this event and are aiming to defend their title. China’s other men’s doubles pairs include Xie Haonan/Zeng Weihang and Chen Boyang/Liu Yi.
In women’s doubles, the biggest change for China is the new pairing of Paris Olympic champion Jia Yifan with Zheng Yu. They are seeded fifth in this tournament, while Chen Qingchen is temporarily away from the team and will miss the event. On the morning of September 16, Jia Yifan and Zheng Yu began training to adapt to the court, and although this is their first time partnering, they are expected to improve their coordination as they go. Paris Olympic silver medalists Liu Shengshu/Tan Ning and the Chinese pair Li Yijing/Luo Xumin are also in the bottom half of the women’s doubles draw. Japan’s popular duo Chiharu Shida and Nami Matsuyama, bronze medalists at the Paris Olympics, will also be competing.
In mixed doubles, despite the absence of Zheng Siwei/Huang Yaqiong, China still has a strong chance of winning this event. The team’s second pair, Feng Yanzhe/Huang Dongping, the newly crowned Hong Kong Open champions Jiang Zhenbang/Wei Yaxin, as well as Guo Xinwa/Chen Fanghui and Cheng Xing/Zhang Chi, all have great potential to contend for the title.
Weng Hongyang (18 June 1999) is a male badminton player from the People’s Republic of China.
He entered the Municipal Sports School in September 2006, the Provincial Sports School in October 2009, and the Provincial Sports Team in March 2011.
He entered the national team in March 2018, and has trained with Chen Bihong, the coach of Fuzhou City Sports School.
In March 2019, Weng Hongyang played in the China Lingshui Badminton Masters Tournament and won the title by defeating teammate Liu Haichao in the men’s singles final.
2020 National Badminton Championships Men’s Singles Champion
On 11 September 2021, his Fujian team won the Men’s Badminton Team Final of the 14th National Games.
On 2 November 2021, he was selected by Fujian Provincial Sports Bureau as one of the candidates for the “14th National Games Athletes, Coaches and Meritorious Collectives and Individuals with Great Merits”.
In November 2021, he was awarded the title of “Fujian Youth May 4th Medal”.
On 21st February 2022, he was awarded the title of “International Sportsman” by China Badminton Association.
In April 2022, Weng won his first Super 500 Men’s Singles title at the Korea Open by defeating Indonesia’s Jonathan 2-1 in the final.
In August 2023, Weng Hongyang played in the Australian Open Badminton Championships and won the title by defeating Prannoy 2-1 in the final.
In October 2023, Weng Hongyang won the Super 750 for the first time in his career by sweeping Malaysia’s Lee Tsz Ka 2-0 in the men’s singles final of the Denmark Open Badminton Championships.
In May 2024, Weng Hongyang won the 2024 Thomas Cup Men’s Team Championship, the first world title of his career. come
