Shi clinches maiden world title, Yamaguchi wins third crown

PARIS (Agencies): Japan’s Akane Yamaguchi claimed her third world title and China’s Shi Yuqi earned his maiden crown as they triumphed in the women’s and men’s singles finals at the Badminton World Championships in Paris on Sunday. Shi, the 29-year-old top seed and runner-up in 2018, beat defending champion Kunlavut Vitidsarn of Thailand 19-21 21-10 21-18 in a tense final lasting one hour 17 minutes. Shi levelled the match with a dominant second game before edging a thrilling decider. Shi led 17-10 in the third game only for Vitidsarn to close the gap to 19-18. The top seed then stretched his lead to 20-18 and the Thai’s next shot drifted long, allowing Shi, who has won his last 10 finals in a row, to close out the contest 21-18. Yamaguchi, 28, who previously won in 2021 and 2022, eased past Chen Yufei of China 21-9 21-13 in 37 minutes to become only the second woman after Spain’s Carolina Marin to lift three world singles crowns. Chen, 27, earned her fifth medal at the championships, adding a second silver to her three bronzes. Chen, playing with heavy strapping on her right ankle after an injury in her semi-final win over Olympic champion An Seyoung, struggled to match Yamaguchi’s pace and precision. Yamaguchi raced to an 11-4 lead in the opener and never looked back. Chen led 6-4 in the second game but could not sustain the pressure as Yamaguchi took back control by building a decisive 16-10 advantage before sealing victory in 37 minutes.