Anders Antonsen forced to surrender against World No. 1 in Chinese inferno at King Cup

Anders Antonsen could not match Shi Yuqi in the final
Anders Antonsen could not match Shi Yuqi in the finalJade Gao / AFP / AFP / Profimedia

Anders Antonsen failed to defend his trophy at the King Cup tournament in China, losing to World No. 1 Shi Yuqi in the final 22-20, 21-7 on Sunday afternoon in front of a delirious crowd in Shenzen.

The invitational tournament, organised by two-time Olympic champion Lin Dan, has attracted several top names and is now in its second edition.

On Friday, Antonsen won the opening match – and the quarter-final – over junior world champion Liu Yangmingyu from China, and on Saturday the Dane also managed to beat world number four, Jonatan Christie, in the semi-final.

But the Chinese world. nr. 1 Shi Yuqi proved to big a challenge for the Dane in the final. 

Antonsen won the first edition of the tournament in 2024, but could not match last year's performance in the final. 

Shi Yuqi was greeted by a loud cheering roar when he made his entrance on the court, but the Chinese favorite could not live up to the expectations in the opening stages of the match. 

Shi Yuqi made too many mistakes, and Antonsen quickly took a 6-1 lead. But Shi Yuqi gradually recovered and won a tight first set 22-20 converting his second set point.

Shi Yuqi raced to a 6-1 lead in the second set and never allowed Antonsen back into the match. All Antonsen's efforts to recover fell short and Shi Yuqi won the second set comfortably to the immense joy of the local crowd. 

The tournament's third place went to Frenchman Alex Lanier.

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