Latest news with #LiShiFeng
Indian Express
3 days ago
- Sport
- Indian Express
Kunlavut Vitidsarn rises to the top: A new world No 1 in badminton men's singles as Thai shuttler reaches summit
There will be a new World No 1 in badminton as Thailand's Kunlavut Vitidsarn confirmed his rise to the summit of men's singles. After his semifinal win at the Singapore Open Super 750 on Saturday, the reigning world champion will also become the world No 1 when the BWF rankings are updated on Tuesday. Vitidsarn overcame Lin Chun Yi in a near one-hour clash 21-11, 25-23 to set up a rematch of the Asian Championships final against China's Lu Guang Zu. Irrespecitve of the result on Sunday, he has earned enough points to topple Shi Yu Qi, who was knocked out earlier in the week by Lu. Vitidsarn continues to be the flagbearer for that brilliant junior Class of 2018 that includes Li Shi Feng, Kodai Naraoka and India's Lakshya Sen. The Thailand pioneer has won Olympic Games silver (losing to Viktor Axelsen last year in Paris), the World Championships gold & silver, the Asian Championships gold and now climbing to the top of the world ladder. The four men on the podium of the 2018 BWF World Junior Championships were: Kunlavut Vitidsarn (gold), Kodai Naraoka (silver), Lakshya Sen and Li Shi Feng (bronze). Lakshya and Li Shi Feng played the final of the Youth Olympic Games that year, with the Indian winning silver. And at the Asian Championships, Lakshya won gold while Vitidsarn won silver. Axelsen had good things to say about Vitidsarn after their battle in the World Championships final in 2022. 'Vitidsarn's a great guy, he's strong mentally and physically,' Axelsen said after his run to gold in Tokyo. 'I knew it would be a tough game. I'm happy with the way I responded to his gameplan in the second. He made it hard for me and I stiffened up a little bit, but I turned it around again. He's a cool guy, on and off the court. He's 21, and we've already played a few matches against each other, and also in other finals. I think there's many good things for him to come. Hopefully we can have many good matches in future.' Vitidsarn is no stranger to firsts. He won the Junior World Championships thrice, the first male shuttler to do so in singles. And at the Asian Championships earlier this year he became the first Thai men's singles champion in 63 years. And having achieved plenty in his career already, Vitidsarn set his sights on All England, where he is yet to taste success. 'I've won the Asian Youth Championship before, and to be able to win in the elite level is really very happy and very meaningful,' Vitidsarn had told BWF after his triumph in Ningbo. My next goal is to win the All England. I've won the World Championships and won a silver medal in the Olympics, but I've finished early at several All Englands so I hope to improve my performances at the All England Open next year.'
India Today
25-05-2025
- Sport
- India Today
Kidambi Srikanth loses Malaysia Masters final after defeat to Li Shi Feng
Kidambi Srikanth went down without a fight in the final of the Malaysia Open 2025. Srikanth, who won the silver medal in the 2021 World Championships in Huelva, lost 11-21, 9-21 to Li Shi Feng of China in 36 minutes on Sunday, May 25. Earlier, the 32-year-old Srikanth qualified for his maiden BWF final in nearly six years after finishing as the runner-up in the India Open 2019. In the semi-final, the Indian shuttler defeated Japan's World No.23 Yushi Tanaka 21-18, 24-22 on Saturday, May 24. advertisementSrikanth became the first Indian to win four BWF titles in 2017 after he won the Indonesia Open, Australian Open, Denmark Open and French Open. In 2018, Srikanth also guided India through to its maiden Commonwealth gold in the team event at Gold Coast. In the Malaysia Masters, Srikanth played in the qualifiers, after which he defeated Nhat Nguyen of Ireland in straight games in the Round of 16. In the quarters, Srikanth had to fight hard before he beat France's Toma Junior Popov 24-22, 17-21, 22-20. Srikanth eased past Tanaka in the semis before going down tamely against Li Shi Feng, who won his maiden BWF title in 2025 after his Japan Masters triumph last year. Srikanth, who also won gold in the team event at the Thomas Cup 2022 in Bangkok, hasn't had the best of times of late as he had slipped to No.82 in the rankings earlier this month. advertisementSrikanth couldn't take part in the Tokyo Olympics after he sustained injuries and also because the qualifiers were cancelled due to the COVID-19 continued to struggle with minor injuries, particularly ankle issues, which also affected his consistency to a large Watch
NDTV
25-05-2025
- Sport
- NDTV
Kidambi Srikanth Finishes Runner-Up In Malaysia Masters
Kidambi Srikanth suffered a loss in the final of the Malaysia Open 2025, losing 11-21, 9-21 to China's Li Shi Feng in just 36 minutes on Sunday. Despite a strong run through the tournament, Srikanth was unable to mount any real challenge in the title clash. The 32-year-old Indian had reached his first BWF final in nearly six years, having last finished runner-up at the India Open in 2019. 'It has been a pretty good week. It's my third tournament. I played decently well in the first two as well, but couldn't really win those matches. But pretty happy with the way it went so far," Srikanth said after the match. 'Not exactly the way I wanted to be today, but still, I think he (Feng) played well. I'm just very happy to be back playing again. I just want to keep myself happy. There was a point in my career where I was pretty used to being standing there, and then it's been a while," Srikanth added. In the semi-final, he overcame Japan's World No. 23 Yushi Tanaka in straight games, 21-18, 24-22, on Saturday. Srikanth, once a dominant force in men's singles, made history in 2017 by becoming the first Indian to win four BWF titles in a calendar year -clinching the Indonesia Open, Australian Open, Denmark Open, and French Open. The following year, he played a pivotal role in India's gold medal triumph in the team event at the Commonwealth Games in the Gold Coast. In this year's Malaysia Masters, Srikanth had to come through the qualifying rounds before defeating Ireland's Nhat Nguyen in the Round of 16. He then edged past France's Toma Junior Popov in a tightly contested quarter-final, 24-22, 17-21, 22-20, and cruised past Tanaka in the semis. However, the final proved a step too far as Li Shi Feng, who claimed his first BWF title of 2025 following last year's Japan Masters win, proved too strong. Once ranked among the world's best, Srikanth has been struggling in recent years. He missed out on the Tokyo Olympics due to injury and the cancellation of qualifiers amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Persistent ankle injuries have since hampered his consistency, and he had slipped to World No. 65 earlier this month. Srikanth was also part of India's historic Thomas Cup victory in 2022 in Bangkok, where he helped secure the team gold.
Hans India
25-05-2025
- Sport
- Hans India
Malaysia Masters: Srikanth finishes as runner-up with loss against Li Shi Feng
Kidambi Srikanth suffered a loss in the final of the Malaysia Open 2025, losing 11-21, 9-21 to China's Li Shi Feng in just 36 minutes on Sunday. Despite a strong run through the tournament, Srikanth was unable to mount any real challenge in the title clash. The 32-year-old Indian had reached his first BWF final in nearly six years, having last finished runner-up at the India Open in 2019. 'It has been a pretty good week. It's my third tournament. I played decently well in the first two as well, but couldn't really win those matches. But pretty happy with the way it went so far," Srikanth said after the match. 'Not exactly the way I wanted to be today, but still, I think he (Feng) played well. I'm just very happy to be back playing again. I just want to keep myself happy. There was a point in my career where I was pretty used to being standing there, and then it's been a while," Srikanth added. In the semi-final, he overcame Japan's World No. 23 Yushi Tanaka in straight games, 21-18, 24-22, on Saturday. Srikanth, once a dominant force in men's singles, made history in 2017 by becoming the first Indian to win four BWF titles in a calendar year -clinching the Indonesia Open, Australian Open, Denmark Open, and French Open. The following year, he played a pivotal role in India's gold medal triumph in the team event at the Commonwealth Games in the Gold Coast. In this year's Malaysia Masters, Srikanth had to come through the qualifying rounds before defeating Ireland's Nhat Nguyen in the Round of 16. He then edged past France's Toma Junior Popov in a tightly contested quarter-final, 24-22, 17-21, 22-20, and cruised past Tanaka in the semis. However, the final proved a step too far as Li Shi Feng, who claimed his first BWF title of 2025 following last year's Japan Masters win, proved too strong. Once ranked among the world's best, Srikanth has been struggling in recent years. He missed out on the Tokyo Olympics due to injury and the cancellation of qualifiers amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Persistent ankle injuries have since hampered his consistency, and he had slipped to World No. 65 earlier this month. Srikanth was also part of India's historic Thomas Cup victory in 2022 in Bangkok, where he helped secure the team gold.
Barnama
25-05-2025
- Sport
- Barnama
Malaysia Masters 2025: Shi Feng Makes History As First Chinese Men's Singles Champion
KUALA LUMPUR, May 25 (Bernama) -- Not even the legendary Lin Dan achieved it but Li Shi Feng had etched his name in the history by becoming the first Chinese men's singles shuttler to win the Malaysia Masters by clinching the title at the 2025 edition held at Axiata Arena, Bukit Jalil, today. The 25-year-old claimed the victory after outplaying unseeded Indian shuttler Srikanth Kidambi in straight sets, 21-11, 21-9 in just 36 minutes. 'I didn't expect to be the first at this event because I hadn't really paid attention to who won it before, but maybe recently I have paid some attention, but I think it's a very good start. So, being able to win deserves a celebration. 'Because in previous interviews, I mentioned that every year I reach the semi-finals and this time to break through and win the championship, I feel it's an affirmation and encouragement for myself,' he told reporters here today. The world No. 4 will now shift his focus to the Singapore Open 2025 which begins this Tuesday (June 27) where he is set to face Japan's Koki Watanabe in the first round. For the record, Lin Dan only made it to the first round at the Malaysia Masters in both 2018 and 2020. Meanwhile, top seed Wang Zhi Yi of China lived up to her billing as the top seed as she came from behind to defend women's singles title for two years in a row, beating her compatriot and second seed Han Yue, 13-21, 21-13, 21-18, in 75-minute duel. The world No. 2 Zhi Yi was delighted at retaining the Malaysia Masters title in her happy hunting ground, saying the victory has inspired her to continue competing in this country. In mixed doubles action, second seeds from China Feng Yan Zhe-Huang Dong Ping took 63 minutes to stun top seed and teammates Jiang Zhen Bang-Wei Ya Xin 21-17, 14-21, 21-16, to claim their back-to-back titles after winning the Thailand Open 2025 last week.
