The Unpredictable and Fascinating Development of Badminton Men’s Singles in the Post Lin Dan-Lee Chong Wei Era

Shi Yuqi (China, 22 years of age)

Shi Yuqi

With Chen Long and Lin Dan sidelined in the aftermath of the Rio Olympics, Shi Yuqi seized the opportunity to gradually establish himself as China’s no.1 and future men’s singles shuttler. Shi was promoted to the first-team in late 2016 following his stellar performances at the junior level, and he immediately impressed his coaches by reaching the finals of the All England and Swiss Open in March 2017.

After a period of slump in the latter half of 2017, Shi looked rejuvenated and made a terrific start in 2018. Not only did he win the All England Open, he also became China’s first men’s singles player in both Thomas Cup and Asian Games team tournament and successfully helped his country winning both events.

Despite his accolades this year, Shi is not quite a finished product and has struggled against Kento Momota and Viktor Axelsen – two excellent shuttlers who are of a similar age with him. Shi Yuqi already possesses powerful attacking display and deft touches on the court, all he needs are more experiences on major tournaments and confidence against major rivals. It is just a matter of time the Chinese shuttler fulfils his potential.