Three Chinese shuttlers advance into men's singles 2nd round at BWF worlds

COPENHAGEN, Aug. 21 (Xinhua) -- Chinese sixth seed Li Shifeng advanced to the second round, alongside teammates Shi Yuqi and Lu Guangzu at the 2023 World Badminton Championships here on Monday.

Defending champion and local favorite Viktor Axelsen moved forward with a decisive victory, 21-6, 21-11, over Ireland's Nhat Nguyen.

Reigning All England Open champion Li dominated his first-round match against Kazakhstan's Panarin Dmitriy, securing a 21-10, 21-8 win in just 30 minutes.

"The most important thing for the first round was adapting to the venue and getting the feel of the competition," Li said. "Although this is the World Championships in the year before the Olympics, and relates to the Olympic quotas, I won't think too much about it. I'll just play the matches one by one."

Born in 2000, Li stands as the top-ranked among the four Chinese men's singles players. Top seed Axelsen had highlighted Li's prowess pre-tournament, labeling him a fierce contender for the championship.

"I'm happy that he said so because he is currently the most dominant player in men's singles. Overall, I think there is still a gap between him and me, but every player has a different style. I'm also looking forward to facing this Olympic champion on the stage of the World Championships," expressed Li.

Following Li, Lu took on Joran Kweekel of the Netherlands. After clinching the first game 21-15, Lu faced resistance in the next, trailing 1-7 and even conceding two game points at 20-18. Displaying grit, Lu scored four points in a row, sealing the game at 22-20.

"In the first game, I quickly found my rhythm. But in the second, he made some changes and played well. I responded a bit slowly, which caused me to fall behind. Fortunately, I made some tactical changes in the later stages, trying to limit his backcourt shots, and that worked well," Lu reflected.

Eighth seed Shi, facing Spaniard Luis Enrique Penalver, had a challenging start, lagging 12-16 in the opening game. He recalibrated, saving a game point at 19-20 and ultimately winning 23-21. Shi dominated the subsequent game, finishing 21-8.

"Because it was the first time playing against him, I wasn't familiar with his style. He played aggressively from the outset, and it benefited him. But as the game progressed, I adapted and my performance improved," the 2018 World Championships runner-up noted.

Zhao, the prior World Championships' bronze medalist, was the sole Chinese casualty on day one. He fell to Malaysia's NG Tze Yong 21-19, 26-24, despite fending off four match points in the second game.