Birmingham, 16 March (H.S.): China’s Shi Yuqi is one win away from claiming his second Badminton All England title after defeating fellow countryman Li Shifeng 21-9, 20-22, 21-19 in the semifinals. The 29-year-old Shi, who faced defeats to Li in both the All England and Asian Games finals in 2023, has since bested him in all three encounters.

Despite an easy first game, Shi found himself challenged in the subsequent games. He noted the balance and fatigue both players experienced in the tight match. Shi, a 2018 champion, will next face Lee Chia-hao from Chinese Taipei in the final, who narrowly defeated Alex Lanier of France.

In the women’s final, top seed An Se-young of South Korea will compete against China’s second seed Wang Zhiyi. An advanced by defeating Japan’s Akane Yamaguchi, while Wang overcame teammate Han Yue.

Additionally, China’s Guo Xinwa/Chen Fanghui and Feng Yanzhe/Wei Yaxin secured the mixed doubles gold. Japan’s women’s doubles teams will face off, while Indonesia’s pair competes against South Korea in men’s doubles.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar