World No. 1 Shi sets up BWF World Championships final with defending champion Kunlavut

World No. 1 Shi Yu Qi survived two match points on Saturday to book a World Championship final meeting with Thai titleholder Kunlavut Vitidsarn.

Chinese star Shi battled back from 18-20 down in the second game to beat Canadian youngster Victor Lai 13-21, 22-20, 21-16 and keep his bid for a first world title alive.

“I felt an emotional release when this one ended,” a breathless Shi said after 80 gruelling minutes on court. (Lai) played exceptionally well indeed. Although I trailed and faced sustained pressure throughout, I remained in a remarkably composed state.”

Lai, a 20-year-old student at York University in Toronto, told reporters his “unbelievable” run to a bronze medal in Paris might just convince him his future lies away from kinesiology.

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“The past couple of years has been school but I think after now and this year I will focus more on badminton and put school to the side,” he said.

Shi will face third seed Kunlavut in Sunday’s final after the 2023 winner overcame Danish second seed Anders Antonsen 21-17, 21-15.

“Shi is the world number one and I have a lot to learn from him,” said Kunlavut, who will be seeking gold after losing last year’s Olympic Games final in the same venue.

“(It’s a) very good arena and very nice place. Tomorrow (Sunday) I go to the final again and I hope to try my best. For me, I think I (have to) step up because my performance is not good enough. Sometimes it’s very high and very low.”

Published on Aug 31, 2025