Sabasports Match Preview
China Masters, Shi Yuqi, Anders Antonsen
Kickoff Time: 2025-09-16 to 2025-09-21 (HKT)
Source: REUTERS/Stephanie Lecocq
The 2025 Li-Ning China Masters is set to commence from September 16 to 21 at the Shenzhen Sports Centre Gymnasium. As the BWF World Tour Super 750 event with the highest total prize money (USD 1.25 million), this tournament has attracted the world’s top badminton players, including Olympic champions, world number one ranked elites, as well as popular and skilled rising stars.
In men’s singles, the newly crowned World Champion and world number one, Shi Yuqi, will enter as the top seed. He is scheduled to face Singapore’s Jia Heng Jason TEH in the first round. If victorious, Shi Yuqi is expected to meet the winner between his compatriot Lu Guangzu and Japan’s Koki Watanabe in the second round. It is worth noting that if Shi Yuqi wins this China Masters, he will become the first player in history to achieve the “Grand Slam” of winning all Super 750 level tournaments and above. However, the top half of the draw also contains strong opponents like third seed Kunlavut Vitidsarn and sixth seed Chou Tien-chen. To unlock this great achievement, Shi Yuqi will likely have to get past them first.
On the other hand, the tournament’s second seed, Anders Antonsen, will anchor the bottom half of the draw. He will face fellow Dane Rasmus Gemke in the first round. As the defending China Masters champion, Antonsen has been in excellent form recently. He won the Indonesia Open by defeating Chou Tien-chen 2-0. He also reached the semi-finals at the recent Paris World Championships, though he lost 0-2 to Kunlavut Vitidsarn, missing the final. Notably, Olympic champion Viktor Axelsen is also in the bottom half. Returning from injury, he suffered a first-round exit at the Hong Kong Open and will face China’s young player Wang Zhengxing in the first round here. Additionally, the newly crowned Hong Kong Open champion and fourth seed, Li Shifeng, is also in the bottom half. He will play against Indonesia’s Alwi Farhan in his opening match.
Looking back at the 2024 China Masters, it was Shi Yuqi’s comeback debut after his Olympic disappointment. He perfectly avenged his loss to Kunlavut Vitidsarn in the quarter-finals, with a cross-court “around-the-head” retrieval shot that went viral on social media. This year, Shi Yuqi returns with the World Champion title, aiming for the unprecedented “Super Series Grand Slam.” Furthermore, top players like Anders Antonsen, Kunlavut Vitidsarn, Li Shifeng, and Viktor Axelsen will also gather here for fierce competition. These peak showdowns between masters will offer badminton fans worldwide a thrilling spectacle!