The All England Open is one of the most prestigious badminton tournaments in the world, and this year it witnessed some remarkable performances from two young stars. Li Shifeng and An Se-young won their first BWF Tour Super 1000 titles in the singles finals, beating some of the best players in the world. Hereโs a recap of what happened on finals day in Birmingham.
In the menโs singles final, Li Shifeng overcame Shi Yuqi in a thrilling match that went to the wire. Li, who was playing his first All England Open, showed great composure and skill as he saved six game points in the first game before winning it 26-24. He then controlled the second game 21-5 to clinch his maiden title.
Li had previously won gold at the Buenos Aires 2018 Youth Olympic Games. But this was his biggest achievement yet, as he beat his compatriot from China who had won this tournament in 2018 and was ranked second in the world.
In the womenโs singles final, An Se-young ended Republic of Koreaโs long drought for an All England champion with a superb victory over Chen Yufei. An, who had lost to Yamaguchi Akane in last yearโs final, was determined to make amends this time. She took the first game 21-17 after a close battle with Chen, who had won gold at Tokyo 2020.
The second game saw Chen bounce back with a convincing 21-10 win, setting up a tense decider. An held her nerve and took a 20-16 lead before Chen fought back to level at 20-20. An then scored three points in a row to seal her triumph 21-19 and become only the second Korean woman to win this title after Bang Soo-hyun in 1996.
An had also beaten Tai Tzu Ying, the world number one from Chinese Taipei, in a marathon semi-final that lasted over an hour. She proved that she is one of the best players in the world right now and a force to be reckoned with.
These two finals were just some of the highlights of an amazing tournament that showcased some of the best badminton action ever seen.