Shi Yu Qi shines to win second All England men’s singles title
Shi Yu Qi delivered a composed performance to dash the dreams of Lee Chia Hao and claim his second men’s singles title at the YONEX All England with a 21-17 21-19 win.
Coming from behind in the first game, Shi soon motored away as the gap between the two shuttlers’ rankings looked like it would show.
Lee built back into the match, leading for parts of the second but in the end there was nothing he could do to stop Shi conquering on the All England stage once again.
Knowing it would take everything he had to triumph against Shi, Lee came out of the blocks firing, opening up a three-point lead.
But Shi was not dormant for long, reeling off six straight points to move into the lead which he never relinquished in the first game.
Lee was able to delay the inevitable, stopping the world number one from taking the game at this first time of asking with a perfectly placed shot over the net.
He was not denied a second time to take a humongous step towards a second title.
A game down but with a fresh opportunity, Lee had nothing to lose but was kept just at arm’s length by the taller Shi.
The Chinese Taipei shuttler could be seen reminding himself to keep calm and not push things.
Eventually that patience paid off as Lee moved into the lead at 8-7, doing so with a shot that deceived Shi.
It was going to take the unexpected to beat the unflappable Shi, and time and time again Lee delivered it.
On the All England final stage for the first time, he just kept battling even if his past performances suggested he had no right to.
But up against a champion like Shi, chances do not come often and there was a knowing fist pump when the Chinese shuttler moved three points away from victory.
The same happened a point later as Shi again moved closer to victory with a smash and there was another as Lee’s shot hit the net and his opponent brought up match point.
Shi did not take the match at the first or even the second time of asking, but eventually, the win came and with it two fist bumps, to symbolise his two titles in Birmingham.
The two titles have come seven years apart with Shi having grown both as a player and person in that time.
Something that has also grown is the support for him, with the majority of the crowd in the Utilita Arena cheering him on.
“It’s been seven years,” Shi said. “A lot has happened during these seven years, ups and downs. I’ve been to a few semi-finals and didn’t make it in the end.
“After these seven years I’m delighted I could win it again.
“It’s great that I can pass on some positive energy and values to the fans and in return they offer me support and encouragement.
“For kids, throughout their life there will be so many opportunities where they have to make a choice. If you make the decision, keep believing in it.”
While Lee did not go home with the grand prize, he was more than satisfied with what he has picked up during a stellar run in Birmingham.
He said: “I think the biggest honour that I have is the medal, even though I got the runners up medal, I am very happy with the result.
“I talked about this before, before the match, during the match and even now, I didn’t expect I could have such a good result.
“I rate myself a very high mark for this week’s performance and I do think my mentality has improved a lot and I did a good adjustment during training and I am very pleased with them.”
Photo courtesy of Badmintonphoto
