Top men’s singles world No. 1 Shi Yuqi made his appearance at this week’s Thailand Open (Super 500). In the first round, the Chinese star needed just 39 minutes to dispatch Indonesia’s Anthony Ginting 2-0 and advance to the round of 16.
After successfully defending the Thomas Cup in early May, China’s shuttlers resumed their tour this week. The Thailand Open is not a top-tier BWF event, so China did not field its top seeds in women’s singles, women’s doubles, men’s doubles, and mixed doubles (Wang Zhiyi, Liu Shengshu/Tan Ning, Liang Weikeng/Wang Chang, Feng Yanzhe/Huang Dongping). However, Shi Yuqi, the leading man in men’s singles, took the court.
In his opener against former world-class player Ginting, Shi won 21-12, 21-17. He will next face Hong Kong’s Lee Cheuk Yiu. Shi has already claimed Sudirman Cup, Thomas Cup, world championship, and All England titles, but he has never stood atop the Thailand Open podium. The last Chinese men’s singles champion at this event was Chen Long in 2011. Thus, Shi has a strong chance to restore China’s glory and fill another gap in his personal collection of titles.
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