Chinese star Lin Dan was denied a seventh All-England Open title as his young compatriot Shi Yuqi clinched a shock victory in yesterday’s final.
Seventh seeded Shi profited from Lin’s lacklustre play to win 21-19, 16-21, 21-9 in Birmingham. The 22-year-old was able to utilise his speed and hard-to-read overhead attacks without inhibition against one of the sport’s all-time greats.
Earlier, Tai Tzu Ying, the world number one from Taiwan became the first women’s Singles player in more than a decade to successfully defend the title.
Tai Tzu Ying, scored a 22-20, 21-13 win over Akane Yamaguchi, the world number two from Japan, in which Tai had to save a game point in the first game.
Tai ended Yamaguchi’s hopes of becoming the first Japanese player to win the All-England women’s Singles title since Hiroe Yuki more than 40 years ago. But two other Japanese players did make All-England history.
Yuta Watanabe and Arisa Higashino became the first pair from their country ever to win the Mixed Doubles title. It was an even bigger upset because they had been unseeded, while the fifth-seeded Chinese pair, Zheng Siwei and Huang Yaqiong, whom they beat 15-21, 22-20, 21-16, had been favourites going into the final.
Earlier on Saturday, India’s P.V. Sindhu lost in the Women’s Singles semi-finals to Japan’s Akane Yamaguchi 21-19, 19-21, 18-21 to bow out of the Tourney.
This post was published on March 19, 2018 6:17 pm