Source:REUTERS/Stephanie Lecocq
[Saba Sports News] Recalling this year’s Badminton World Championships, many fans were undoubtedly impressed by the Canadian dark horse, Victor Lai. Lai held a match point against Shi Yuqi in the semi-finals, but Shi Yuqi ultimately relied on his extensive experience to endure and win the championship. Just ten days after the World Championships concluded, Victor Lai did not rest on the laurels of his bronze medal but immediately competed in the Super 500 Hong Kong Open. However, his campaign there ended poorly: he narrowly won his first qualifying round 2-0 against a player from Macau, China, but then lost 0-2 in the second qualifying round to Hong Kong, China’s Jason Gunawan, failing to reach the main draw. One week later, the Super 100 Indonesia Masters began. Lai participated as the top seed. Since it overlapped with the Super 750 China Masters, where most top players competed, fans expected him to secure the title. Indeed, Lai smoothly advanced to the semi-finals. At that stage, with no particularly strong opponents left, it seemed almost certain that the World Championships bronze medalist would win. However, Lai suffered a straight-sets 0-2 defeat in the semi-finals to Indonesian player Chico Aura Dwi Wardoyo, still failing to reach the final. Notably, Chico is 27 years old, ranked 54th in the world, and has never won any significant titles. It appears that Victor Lai, the World Championships dark horse, might just be a flash in the pan?