The 2023 World Badminton Championships in Copenhagen staged an unexpected match. The most shocking thing was that top seed Li Shifeng lost to Taiwan's Wang Ziwei, and the two sides ended the match 15-21, 14-21. Wang Ziwei's victory did not end there. He also eliminated Lu Guangzu and became the new dark horse of men's singles.
With Li Shifeng out, Shi Yuqi became the lone lamp of China's men's singles. After winning match points 21-7, 14-21, 22-20 in a fierce match against Hong Kong veteran Wu Jialang, Shi Yuqi now basically carries the hopes of China's men's singles at next year's Paris Olympics.
In the women's singles, Chen Yufei and Wang Zhiyi became the last warriors of the Chinese team. When Chen Yufei defeated host Mia 21-12, 21-13, Wang Zhiyi unexpectedly defeated world number five He Bingjiao to set off a gripping all-China quarter-final showdown.
This tournament is also the stage for a radical change in the doubles category. Several defending champions and top seeds have been eliminated, from mixed doubles Chinese pair Zheng Siwei/Huang Yaqiong to men's doubles Indonesian veterans Ashan/Setiawan . This reshuffle marks a huge shift in the badminton landscape.
In my view, the turbulent nature of this year's World Championships highlights two things: emerging talent challenging established stars, and expectations of the remaining Chinese players. Shi Yuqi is now the last player to represent China in the men's singles tournament and needs to deal with new responsibilities. He is not only fighting for the title, but also laying the foundation for China's Olympic dream. For the women's team, the domestic quarterfinals between Chen Yufei and Wang Zhiyi are both a challenge and a guarantee for the Chinese team to advance to the semifinals.
So as we take a breather from these exciting, shocking competitions, the tournament may be about crowning the world's best athletes, but it's also about the rise and fall of nations in the sport. This year, every badminton hit seems to carry not only a point of hope, but also a country's dream.
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