China men’s singles shuttler Shi Yuqi in action against Indonesia’s Anthony Sinisuka Ginting during the final match of Thomas Cup Finals at Hi-Tech Zone Sports Centre in Chengdu, China on Sunday. — IZZRAFIQ ALIAS/The Star
PETALING JAYA: Chinese men’s singles shuttler Shi Yuqi suffered a huge injury scare ahead of the World Tour Finals from Dec 17-21 in Hangzhou.
The reigning world champion injured his leg while competing in the ongoing National Games in China and was forced to retire in the quarter-finals against Weng Hongyang.
According to CGTN sports, Yuqi left the court on a wheelchair and will undergo tests to discover the extent of the injury.
The world No. 1 said in a post-match interview that he could have tried to continue playing but did not want to risk aggravating the injury with the Tour Finals just a month away.
“I felt that I could keep playing if I really tried but it would have looked terrible,” said Yuqi, who was struggling to move well on court.
“I would have lost anyway. I think it’s better to prioritise myself.”
Yuqi will be hoping that the issue is not too serious as he seeks to defend his title in the Tour Finals at home.
The 29-year-old defeated Denmark’s Anders Antonsen to capture the crown last year also in Hangzhou.
This time, Yuqi automatically qualified for the prestigious season-ender thanks to his world title victory in Paris in August.
If the ace can recover fully in time for the Finals, he will be one of the favourites for the title again.
Yuqi, who also triumphed in 2018, will be hoping for the chance to claim a hattrick of titles.
China will also be represented in the men’s singles by world No. 5 Li Shifeng.
The others who have confirmed their tickets in Hangzhou are Thailand’s Kunlavut Vitidsarn, Taiwan’s Chou Tien-chen, Antonsen, Frenchman Christo Popov and Indonesia’s Jonatan Christie.
One more spot is still up for grabs and will be finalised after the ongoing Australian Open in Sydney.
Only the players that finish in the top eight in the Race to Finals rankings will qualify for the competition.
