KUALA LUMPUR – Men’s singles shuttler Shi Yuqi from China pulled off an upset in the semi-finals of the Malaysia Open after sweeping aside world number one Viktor Axelsen of Denmark 21-12, 19-21, 21-17 at the Axiata Arena in Bukit Jalil today.
After an impressive showing against the Dane, Shi Yuqi said that Axelsen may have had the physical advantage but admitted that he was stronger mentally – which gave him the advantage.
“Axelsen is a top player, but psychologically I had the advantage because he has been the defending champion two times in a row. So, the pressure was on him to win.
Axelsen could be seen celebrating every time he won a point, which had frustrated Yuqi. However, the player from China admitted that the Danish player’s celebrations did nothing more but motivate him.
“We should learn from this. Axelsen celebrating like that motivated me more to win,” said Yuqi.
The hat-trick is still on for Denmark to bring back the title as Shi Yuqi will now face Axelsen’s compatriot Anders Antonsen in the final tomorrow.
Antonsen defeated Lin Chun-yi of Chinese Taipei in straight sets 21-16, 21-7 earlier today.
Speaking to the media after his match, Antonsen said that he considered himself the underdog for tomorrow’s final.
“I’ll be the underdog tomorrow. With that in mind, I know that I will go out to the court and give my best. No pressure at all. I can have fun and enjoy the match but obviously I want to do absolutely everything to win the title.” – January 13, 2024