So what do we have here?
A brilliant new star – the brightest in the sky? Or just one of many that have popped into view?
Li Shi Feng’s All England victory in March did make the world sit up and take notice. Not that he was an unknown quantity earlier, but there was something about his first HSBC BWF World Tour title win that caught the attention of observers.
After all, he’d been in the German Open final the previous week – he’d routed Kento Momota in the semifinal before going down to Ng Ka Long Angus in a marathon final.
And then, at the All England, there he was, in another marathon match on Saturday, pitting his wiles against Anders Antonsen, in a match that went 95 minutes.
Antonsen, never one to hold back credit, was fulsome in his praise for his opponent: “He played amazing. I was thinking in there at times that I’ve never played a better player, he was so solid. Crazy high pace, and how I managed to come back is even crazier.”
Still, Li was the underdog in the final against Shi Yu Qi, who’d been in two previous All England finals, winning one. At the end of a tight first game, it was one outstanding defensive return – worthy of a Chen Long, whom he somewhat resembled earlier in his career – on Shi’s second game point, that possibly broke his senior compatriot’s resolve.
The second game saw a meltdown, rather unusually from the more experienced player, and Li had his first World Tour Super 1000 title. The 21-5 score in the second game made it one of the most comprehensive wins in an All England final.
“I’m pretty shocked and amazed by this outcome. Before this week I didn’t even expect to reach the final,” said Li.
“Every single athlete faces challenges, and a good athlete has to give more effort than others in training,” he added. “The key was that I shouldn’t give up. Obviously I had a bit of pressure before this, but I aimed very high. I found that whenever I took on less pressure on myself, I could perform better, like I did (in the final).”
The All England win saw a big gain in his ranking, as he leapfrogged several compatriots to No.11, just one place behind Shi. With Olympic qualification beginning in May, Li couldn’t have chosen a better time to find form.
Li’s peers from his junior days – Kunlavut Vitidsarn, Lakshya Sen and Kodai Naraoka – had excelled at the senior level early; Li – who’d played just three international events in the pandemic-affected years of 2020 and 2021 – had to play catch-up. Now that he’s arrived, it will be fascinating to see what unfolds in men’s singles.