 "Shi Yu Qi")
It was the second time lucky for China’s Shi Yu Qi as he got the better of Hong Kong’s Lee Cheuk Yiu in straits sets 23-21 and 21-17 to Win the Men’s Singles Title at India Open 2024 on Sunday, January 21, at the KD Jadhav Indoor Hall in New Delhi. It was a long wait of 14 months and one day for the Chinese shuttler to claim his first title since 2022 as he ended the dream run of Yiu.
Yiu, who is ranked 18th in the world, was playing his first ever Super 750 final after having a dream run at India Open 2024 where he beat former world number one, reigning world champion, and two players in the top 10 of the world rankings on his way to the final.
Auspicious Win for Qi
Reacting after the victory, the Chinese shuttler called it an auspicious win for himself as it made him a champion after 14 months. “This victory in 2024 holds immense significance for my career, given the prestigious nature of this tournament and the fact that it took place in India is a stroke of good fortune for me,” said Qi in his post-match press conference.
In the final though, Qi got to an early lead and dominated the first half. Yiu seemed confused, not able to handle the tactics of the world number two and finalist of the Malaysian Open Super 1000 tournament from last week.
However, the man from Hong Kong won three straight points, but Qi came back with a back-of-the-court smash. A fault by Yiu in a hurry to finish the point at the net made it 4-7 in favour of the Chinese.
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Yiu on a Comeback Trail
Trailing 7-11 at the mid-game interval, Yiu came back to make it 13-14 after playing the game back and forth and drawing the 2018 India Open winner back and forth on the court. He was eventually able to make it 15-15 before Qi managed to take a 17-15 lead.
Close Finish
There were great smashes on display from Qi as he managed to take a 19-17 lead. However, Yiu was in no mood to relent either, managing to take a point from a great return in Qi’s serve.
A wasteful effort from Yiu though gave Qi his third game point at 21-20. But in an attempt to kill the rally with a cross-court smash, the top Chinese player hit it outside the sideline and it was back to 21-all. Qi was thrilled to hit two great smashes and win the first game 23-21 in 25 minutes.
Early Lead in Second Set for Qi
The Chinese shuttler got into an early lead at 8-5 but Yiu, who had beaten former world number one India’s Kidambi Srikanth in the opening round, reigning world champion Thailand’s Kunlavut Vitidsarn in the second round, world number four Indonesia’s Anthony Ginting in the third round, and China Masters winner from 2023, Japan’s Kodai Naraoka in a three-set thriller in the semi-final, was not looking to give up easily.
Hard-fought Matches for Yiu
While Qi had played only one three-setter coming into the final, his opponent had played a three-setter in every match except the first one. The tiredness was looking evident on the face of the world number 18, as he trailed 9-14 in the second set.
Medical Attention for Qi
Qi needed medical attention as Yiu made yet another comeback and went from 9-14 down to 12-14. The 27-year-old Chinese looked in evident discomfort, and as a result, his shots were getting haywire.
Yiu’s coach was smart enough to dictate to him from the sidelines that he needed to make the Chinese work harder for his points as this would drain him and force him to make unforced errors. That is exactly what happened as Yiu won four straight points after the medical break.
However, Qi did win a point with a great smash to make it 15-16 and then forced Yiu to commit an error and return the shuttle out of the playing area to make it 16-all.
Talking about his comeback in the second game, Qi said, “Despite several contentious offside calls, Lee Cheuk Yiu from Hong Kong surpassed me in points. Nevertheless, I exhibited patience, ultimately outscoring him.”
Qi Comes from Behind to Win the India Open 2024
Though it would have seemed that he was in some sort of discomfort after the medical attention, however, the Chinese shuttler managed to eke out five consecutive points to get into the lead at 19-16.
Yiu broke the momentum with a point of his own, but that did not stop Qi from getting four game points. He needed just one to clinch the second game 21-17 and the match 23-21 and 21-17 to win his second India Open title.
Talking about his future ambitions, Qi said that he would look to become world number one. “Even though Victor currently holds the title of the world's best singles player, the competitive landscape of this game offers opportunities for others to claim the throne,” he said.
