The Chinese Shi Yu Qi, N.1 in the world, was crowned at the Badminton Worlds by beating in the final Thai Kunlavut Vitidsarn (3rd) Sunday in Paris, the Japanese Akane Yamaguchi (5th) winning against Chinese Yu Fei Chen (4th).
After a hanging match, the 29-year-old Chinese, world vice-champion in 2018, dropped the 24-year-old world champion in three sets (19-21, 21-10, 21-18).
The Thais, also Olympic vice-champion in Paris, was however well started: led 18-11 in the first set, he managed to overthrow the score, taking advantage of many direct Chinese faults.
Shi, winner of the Series 1000 of China in July and the fall of the French Christo Popov in the knockout stages, was superior to his opponent on the whole match, but his feverishness in key moments almost re-abined in the third set, joined at 19-18, when he was leading 17-10.
In simple ladies, Akane Yamaguchi won in two sets (21-9, 21-13).
Already world champion in 2021 and 2022, the year she won against her opponent of the day in the final, Yamaguchi becomes the second player in history to register three world titles to her record, after the Spanish Carolina Marin.
Very mobile thanks to her small size and her 56 meter, the 28-year-old Japanese woman left no chance to the Olympic champion (Tokyo in 2021), yet a tomb of the world n.1 is you in the semi-finals.
Dominating in all sectors of the game, the world number 5 has aroused the admiration of the supporters present at the Arena La Chapelle with its fierce defense at each point, and after each of its numerous winnings.
In mixed double, the Malaysian pair Tang Jie Chen/Ee Toh (4th in the world) won on the Chinese Zhen Bang Jiang/Ya Xin Wei (2nd) 21-15, 21-14. The title of the female double returned to the Chinese Sheng Shu Liu/Ning Tan (world N.1) who beat Malaysian women Pearly Tan/Thinaah Muralitharan (2nd) 21-14, 20-22, 21-17.
For the last match of these Worlds, the Koreans Won Ho Kim and Seung Jae SEO (1st) beat the Chinese Yi Liu and Bo Yang Chen (11th) in two sets 21-17, 21-12 for the male double title.
