Shi shakes off the rust as comeback begins in style

Chinese star returns from suspension with assured opening victory at worlds

Chinese men's singles star Shi Yuqi proved he still has what it takes to shine at major tournaments with victory in his comeback from a 10-month suspension on Monday.

Shi overcame Azerbaijan's Ade Resky Dwicahyo 2-0 (22-20, 21-10) in his opening match of the BWF World Championships in Tokyo. The victory comes both as a huge relief and confidence boost for the 26-year-old as he resumes his bid to add an elusive world title to his trophy collection.

"I told myself to not think too much in my first match back as I had prepared for all possible scenarios. After all, I haven't played for a very long time. From the very beginning, it wasn't an easy match. I kept adjusting and my first victory has for sure boosted my confidence," said Shi.

"The first set was pretty challenging, but I was much better in the second set. So I think I still need to improve my pace in the coming matches.

"I did not adjust well to the conditions inside the venue in the first set and I made some mistakes. I need to get the feeling on the court back, and my overall movement on the court was not very smooth. I pushed myself to be faster in the second set."

Shi's previous match was in the semifinals of the Thomas Cup in October 2021 when his behavior led to the suspension by the Chinese Badminton Association. Shi retired from that match when trailing Japanese ace Kento Momota 5-20 and made "inappropriate remarks "online about his withdrawal.

The final two months of Shi's one-year suspension were revoked, allowing him to take his place in the top quarter of the draw in Tokyo, where he will next face Denmark's Rasmus Gemke before a potential quarterfinal against another Dane, world No 1 Viktor Axelsen.

"I am very excited to return to the court," Shi added. "I have never been out of practice over the past 10 months. I think I am still in good form."

Shi's absence from competition has seen him drop from second in the rankings to 25th, but judging from Monday's performance should expect to gradually claw his way back to at least the top 10.

"Overall I'm still feeling pretty good. I've stayed active and I've been playing well and I'm really happy to be in Tokyo. I'm not too nervous. I'm just trying to learn from all my opponents," said Shi.

"Because this is a high-level tournament, I have a lot to learn from players like Viktor, Momota and (Anthony Sinisuka) Ginting, and a few others too.

"During my time away from competitions, I have always been playing matches against my teammates, and also video analysis and many other things."

Having cleared the first hurdle, now fans are eagerly awaiting his potential showdown with Axelsen, who defeated Shi in the Tokyo Olympics quarterfinals en route to claiming the gold.

"Axelsen is a great player and every time I play him, I learn a lot from him. I'll need to be at my best if we meet again this time," said Shi.

"But now I don't think a lot about Viktor. It's important that I stay confident in my own abilities."

But the question on every fan's lips is: Can he spring an upset? "It depends," Shi said. "But people should be excited and look forward to it."

High hopes

On the women's side, the Chinese squad has ambitions of landing a long-awaited singles title. The last time China won a women's singles crown at the worlds was at the 2011 edition in London where Wang Yihan prevailed.

China's biggest hope for women's singles gold is Chen Yufei, who has been a household name after winning the Tokyo Olympics title.

Chen, though, has been keen to play down her prospects, saying it would be dangerous to take it for granted that the Olympic champion can "naturally" win the world title.

"I know that the fans have high expectations of me after the Tokyo Olympics. But it is wrong to think that I will win the world title comfortably. I will try my best in every detail but I will avoid thinking that way," the 24-year-old said.

Chen's teammates－Han Yue, He Bingjiao and Wang Zhiyi－are all in the upper half of the draw.

"I don't think I am fighting alone in the bottom half. If you want to play well, you need to beat every rival," Chen added.