[Saba Sports News] In a thrilling men’s singles quarterfinal clash at the China Open, top seed Shi Yuqi lost 1-2 to Zhou Tiancheng and crashed out at the last-eight stage. Shi Yuqi had advanced in the previous two rounds after his opponents retired mid-match. His quarterfinal rival was experienced Chinese Taipei shuttler Zhou Tiancheng. The 36-year-old veteran is past his athletic prime yet still sits world No.6. The pair have met 20 times, with Shi Yuqi holding a 15-5 head-to-head record and riding a nine-match winning streak against him. The contest was widely expected to be one-sided, yet an upset unfolded. Shi Yuqi surrendered a large lead in the opening game, which proved to be the turning point. Leading 13-6 midway through the first game, he suffered a sudden slump as his opponent reeled off eight consecutive points, and he eventually dropped the opener 14-21. Shi Yuqi fought back to claim the second game 21-12. In the decider, hampered by fading fitness, poor court movement and an inability to seize crucial points, he went down 15-21. Having also fallen in the quarterfinals to France’s Christo Popov at last week’s Japan Open, Shi Yuqi has now failed to reach the semi-finals for two consecutive tournaments.
With Shi Yuqi and Weng Hongyang losing to Chinese Taipei’s Zhou Tiancheng and Lin Chunyi respectively, no Chinese men’s singles players have made it to the semi-finals of the tournament. At this BWF World Tour Super 1000 event held on home soil, the Chinese men’s singles contingent failed not only to challenge for the title but also saw all its athletes eliminated within three rounds, a deeply disappointing outcome.