Shi Yuqi to Play Kunlavut Vitidsarn In French Open Final

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Shi Yuqi to take on Kunlavut Vitidsarn in the 2024 French Open final. (photo: Shi Tang/Getty Images)
Shi Yuqi to take on Kunlavut Vitidsarn in the 2024 French Open final. (photo: Shi Tang/Getty Images)

Paris: Shi Yuqi is set to face Kunlavut Vitidsarn in the final of the 2024 French Badminton Open, following the Chinese team’s successful advancement to the finals in men’s singles, women’s doubles, and mixed doubles.

Highlights of Shi Yuqi vs. Chico Aura Dwi Wardoyo in the 2024 French Open semi-finals:

Shi Yuqi came out on top against Indonesia’s Chico Aura Dwi Wardoyo with scores of 21-19, 21-14. Currently ranked 2nd in the world, Shi has reached the men’s singles final for the third time this year. In the previous two instances, he faced a loss in the 2024 Malaysia Open final against Anders Antonsen of Denmark and a win in the 2024 India Open final against Lee Cheuk Yiu of Hong Kong. Now, in the French Open final, he will face the reigning world champion Kunlavut Vitidsarn from Thailand.

Vitidsarn faced a tough challenge in the semi-finals, engaging in a three-set comeback against India’s world no. 19 Lakshya Sen with a score of 20-22, 21-13, 21-11 in 78 minutes.

In other categories, Taiwan’s Lee Jhe-Huei/Yang Po-Hsuan upset Japan’s world no. 6 Takuro Hoki/Yugo Kobayashi in men’s doubles with scores of 21-18, 23-21, while world no. 1 Satwiksairaj Rankireddy/Chirag Shetty of India dominated against the reigning world champions Kang Min Hyuk/Seo Seung Jae of Korea with scores of 21-13, 21-16. They will now face each other in the final.

In the women’s singles semifinals, Korea’s reigning world champion An Se-young staged a remarkable comeback in the deciding game, overcoming a 16-20 deficit to defeat Taiwan’s world no. 3, Tai Tzu-ying, with a score of 21-12, 17-21, 22-20. An Se-young’s victory secured her spot in the final. Tai Tzu-ying admitted that she lacked decisiveness when she reached her first 20 points in the deciding game.

According to the official BWF website, An Se-young said, “I was very lucky today; I thought I had lost.”

In a post-match interview, Tai Tzu-ying revealed that she felt terrible about her performance, acknowledging that although she reached 20 points first in the deciding game, she lacked the resilience to finish the match.

An Se-young, who previously won the French Open in 2019, is set to face Japanese star Akane Yamaguchi in the final, aiming for her second title in the tournament. Yamaguchi, a two-time French Open champion in 2018 and 2021, is also vying for her third personal title in the tournament’s history. The Japanese overcame Chen Yufei of China 21-15, 18-21, 22-20 in 73 minutes.

Chen Qingchen/Jia Yifan of China have also advanced to the final after defeating Japan’s Mayu Matsumoto/Wakana Nagahara 21-13, 21-16.

The world no. 1 Chinese women’s doubles pair will take on another Japanese pair, the world no. 6 Nami Matsuyama/Chiharu Shida, in the final.

Although Seo Seung Jae lost in the men’s doubles semi-finals, he and Chae Yu Jung enter the mixed doubles final and will take on Feng Yan Zhe/Huang Dong Ping of China in the final.

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