KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 12 — China’s men’s singles ace Shi Yu Qi was crowned Malaysia Open champion after he defeated title holder Anders Antonsen of Denmark here today.
The opening set was a one-way road, with Antonsen unable to find an answer to Yu Qi’s exceptional gameplay, allowing the top seed to hammer the Dane 21-8.
Down 9-11 at the second set interval, the world number one unleashed an unstoppable surge, mounting a comeback point by point to take the lead 14-11 and claimed the title with a 21-15 victory in 39-minutes of the season opening final at the Axiata Arena.
The victory not only sawthe 28-year-old avenge his 14-21, 13-21 final loss last year to Antonsen, he also ended Denmark’s three-year domination after two-time Olympic gold medallist Viktor Axelsen secured the title in 2022 and 2023.
Yu Qi said he was delighted to become the first China men’s singles player to win the title since world icon Lin Dan clinched it in the 2019 edition.
“I think my performance is better than before,” he told reporters in a post-match interview at the mixed zone here.
Despite his disappointment, Antonsen said it simply wasn’t his day and admitted his opponent was the better player today.
Meanwhile, South Korea’s An Se Young showed exactly why she is the current top women’s singles shuttler as she effortlessly defended her Malaysia Open title against second seed Wang Zhi Yi of China.
After taking the first set 21-17, the world number one proved too skilled for Zhi Yi, steamrolling the world number two 21-7 in just 45-minutes.
“I just played my game and was persistent, that’s why I was able to win today,” she told reporters.
Both Yu Qi and Se Young pocketed US$101,500 (about RM456,000) as champions, while Antonsen and Zhi Yi took home US$49,300 (about RM221,000).
— Bernama
