Australian Open: ‘Exhausted’ Shi Finishes on a High
Shi Yu Qi’s World Tour season ended on a high as he achieved his second title victory in four events by winning the SATHIO GROUP Australian Open 2022.
· BWF STAFF
The Chinese world No.29, who had returned to competitive badminton in August after a 10-month layoff, had won the Denmark Open last month. After first round exits at the French Open and the HYLO Open, Shi stormed past compatriot Lu Guang Zu in the final today, 19-21 21-18 21-5.
“I am feeling exhausted but luckily I could win the game today,” said Shi. “The process was very important. In the first two games, I could tell that I wasn’t fully recovered from yesterday’s game, but in the third I actually felt more energetic and my footwork was much better so that’s how I won the match.”
The runner-up acknowledged that fatigue had played a role in his defeat.