KUALA LUMPUR – Don’t be surprised if China’s last-minute inclusion, Li Shi Feng, walks away with the men’s singles title at next week’s World Tour Finals in Hangzhou.
The world number six, who made the season-ending event in the 11th hour following the withdrawal of Denmark’s Viktor Axelsen due to injury, could pose a significant challenge to Malaysia’s Lee Zii Jia, who has a less-than-favourable head-to-head record against him.
As fate would have it, both players were drawn together in Group A today, alongside Denmark’s Anders Antonsen and Chinese Taipei’s Chou Tien Chen. Only the top two players from the group will advance to the semi-finals, and Zii Jia has only managed this once in his two previous appearances.
Shi Feng, the reigning Asian Games champion, made it into the top eight for the prestigious tournament, which has a total prize pool of US$2.5 million (RM11.03 million), following Axelsen’s withdrawal.
“I have a feeling Shi Feng might go on to win the title,” said former international Datuk James Selvaraj.
“It’s strange, I know, because he was the last one in, but he’s a special player. In his final against Leong Jun Hao at the Kumamoto Masters, he was nearly perfect – his shots and strokes were full of finesse.”
“If he can replicate that kind of performance again, he could stun everyone,” James added.
Separately, the former Badminton Association of Malaysia (BAM) Coaching and Training (C&T) committee member also suggested that world number eight Zii Jia needs to reconsider his mindset and attitude to become a true champion.
His comments came after Team LZJ announced that head coach Wong Tat Meng would part ways with the 2024 Paris Olympics bronze medalist after the World Tour Finals.
“I’m not sure of the exact reasons behind Tat Meng’s decision, but he has done a lot for Zii Jia. The way the game was played in the past is very different, and Tat Meng helped Zii Jia adapt to today’s game,” said James.
“I don’t know who will be hired next to coach Zii Jia, but the World Tour Finals is the perfect opportunity for him to prove himself. Zii Jia needs a shift in mindset and attitude to become a true champion,” he added.
Zii Jia made his World Tour Finals debut in 2020 in Bangkok but failed to make it out of the group stages. In Bali the following year, he topped his group before losing to Thailand’s Kunlavut Vitidsarn in the semi-finals.
In Group B, the other men’s singles players are world number one Shi Yu Qi of China, Japan’s Kodai Naraoka, Thailand’s Kunlavut, and Indonesia’s Jonatan Christie. – December 7, 2024