Taiwan’s Lee Chia-hao (李佳豪) on Sunday won a silver medal at the All England Open Badminton Championships in Birmingham, England, a career best.
Lee, 25, took silver in the final of the men’s singles against world No. 1 Shi Yuqi (石宇奇) of China, who won 21-17, 21-19 in a tough match that lasted 51 minutes.
After the match, the Taiwanese player, who ranks No. 22 in the world, said it felt unreal to be challenging an opponent of Shi’s caliber.
Photo: AFP
“I had to be in peak form, and constantly switch my rhythm and tactics in order to score points effectively,” he said.
Lee got off to a good 6-3 start in the opener, but Shi soon gained the upper hand and clinched the first game after a series of unforced errors by the Taiwanese.
The match intensified after the mid-interval in the second game, with the two players leveling twice at 15-15 and 16-16, but the Chinese took advantage of Lee’s unforced errors to win the match and secure his second All England Open title.
Lee said he lost consecutive points in the second game because “even the slightest deviation in my strategy turned into unforced errors.”
He said that all of the tournaments he had lost since last year’s Taipei Open were lost in the first round, which were a heavy blow to him.
“But I later changed my mindset and was able to manage myself better,” he said. “That allowed me to perform well in France [earlier this month] and at the All England Open.”
The silver on Sunday was Lee’s best career performance, an achievement that he said was unexpected and a symbol of his ability to overcome personal challenges.
Lee’s coach, Feng Sheng-chieh (馮勝杰), praised him for winning the runner-up title, but said there was still room for improvement, particularly regarding his unforced errors.
Lee’s father said he hoped his won could work his way up the world rankings this year to between 10th and 15th.
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