On December 14, the first day of the International Badminton Federation Finals ended in Hangzhou, and there were three major upsets. Men's Singles World No. 1 Viktor Axelsen lost 0-2 to Shi Yuqi, Women's Singles World No. 1 An Xiying lost 0-2 to Kim Jiaen, and Men's Doubles World No. 1 Leung Wei Keng/Wang Chang lost 1-2 to Liu Yuchen/Ou Xuanyi.
Underdog one, men's singles, Shi Yuqi 2-0 Axelsen
Axelsen is currently ranked No. 1 in the world with a total of 157 weeks. Since 2021, he has become the strongest men's singles player in the world, leaving behind the existence of a group of top players and winning 6 titles this year. Shi Yuqi is currently ranked No. 8 in the world, and his overall performance this year has been mediocre, winning three runners-up. Judging from the head-to-head record of the two, Axelsen is far ahead with 8 wins and 1 loss. The last time the two met was in the final of the China Masters two weeks ago, when Shi Yuqi lost 2-0.
In today's game, Axelsen was ill-prepared, and the first game was in chasing mode, tying it at 19-19 after falling behind 14-19. But in the end, it fell short, losing the first game 19-21. In the second game, after the scores of the two sides rose alternately to 14-14, Axelsen lost 5 points in a row, which eventually led to another loss of 19-21, and the big score was 0-2.
Cold two, women's singles, An Seying 0-2 Kim Ga-eun
Ahn Se Ying is currently the number one in the world, and this year she defeated all the top players and won 10 titles, tying the all-time record. In the first round, facing Kim Ga-eun, who participated as a substitute, she didn't expect An Se-ying to lose before the game.
In today's game, because the two played exactly the same style, Jin Jiaen completely dragged down An Xiying by mobilizing An Xiying's square ball, and she completely dragged down An Xiying, who had the advantage of running, and defeated this year's invincible An Xiying with two 21-19 upsets, and finally ushered in the first victory of the career finals.
Underdog three, men's doubles, Leung Wai Keng/Wang Chang 1-2 Liu Yuchen/Ou Xuanyi
Leung Wai Hang/Wang Chang, currently ranked No. 1 in the world, have beaten all of the world's top 10 pairs this year and are China's first men's doubles world No. 1 pair in seven years. Facing teammates Liu Yuchen/Ou Xuanyi, who had been defeated twice, Liang Wang was favored to win.
In today's game, because the two pairs are very familiar, Leung Wai Keng's attack in the first game consumed a lot of physical energy, but the effect was not good, and he lost the first game 18-21. Although he pulled back a game 21-16 in the second game, he still lost to his opponent 16-21 in the third game and missed the first win in the finals.
The world No. 1 in 3 events lost at the same time, which is still very rare in the history of the finals. The world No. 1 in women's doubles and mixed doubles was much more stable, winning easily 2-0 and winning their first victory.