Calgary: In an exciting showdown at the Canada Open men’s singles finals in Calgary, Li Shifeng of China faced a defeat against India’s Lakshya Sen, ranked 19th in the world. This loss shattered Li Shifeng’s hopes of reclaiming the championship after a four-year gap. The intense match, lasting for 50 minutes, saw Li Shifeng hold a 20-16 lead with four game points in the second game. However, he couldn’t maintain his advantage and lost six consecutive points to Sen, resulting in a 21-18, 22-20 victory for Sen.
Highlights of Lakshya Sen vs. Li Shifeng in the 2023 Canada Open final:
Sen, who had previously undergone nose surgery, made a triumphant comeback after an eighteen-month break, securing the championship. Li Shifeng, the winner of this year’s All England championship, acknowledged the closely contested nature of the match and praised Sen’s outstanding performance.
Expressing his gratitude to the fans for their support, Li said although he fell short of the top spot on the podium, he recognized the challenges inherent in the sport and emphasized his dedication to self-improvement and reflection in the upcoming tournaments.
In another noteworthy final, Denmark’s Kim Astrup/Anders Skaarup Rasmussen staged a remarkable comeback in the men’s doubles, defeating Rasmus Kjær/Frederik Søgaard 23-25, 21-16, 21-12.
Meanwhile, the Japanese team emerged as the major winners of the day, claiming three titles and one runner-up position. In the women’s singles final, top-seeded Akane Yamaguchi displayed her exceptional skills, triumphing over Thailand’s Ratchanok Intanon with a score of 21-19, 21-16, securing her fourth women’s singles championship this season.
The women’s doubles final witnessed an intense all-Japanese battle between top-seeded Nami Matsuyama and Chiharu Shida against fourth-seeded Mayu Matsumoto and Wakana Nagahara. Shida and Matsuyama eventually prevailed with a score of 22-20, 21-16, securing their second championship of the year.
Hiroki Midorikawa/Natsu Saito of Japan won the mixed doubles title by beating Mathias Thyrri/Amalie Magelund of Denmark 21-17, 16-21, 21-13.
