Shi stuns Lin in All England men’s final, Tai retains title

BIRMINGHAM: Chinese star Lin Dan was denied a seventh All-England Open title as his young compatriot Shi Yuqi clinched a shock victory in Sunday’s final.

Seventh seeded Shi profited from Lin’s lacklustre play to win 21-19, 16-21, 21-9 in Birmingham.

The surprising absence of Lin’s famed attacking skills helped Shi to grow in confidence.

The 22-year-old was able to utilise his speed and hard-to-read overhead attacks without inhibition against one of the sport’s all-time greats.

“I was more patient and controlled my pace, which helped me get the match back,” said Shi, who admitted he was relieved to erase the memory of last year’s final loss to Malaysia’s Lee Chong Wei.

Lin would have been the oldest player in 63 years to win the All-England men’s singles title had he prevailed.

But just when he had levelled the match with a burst of delicate drops and sliced smashes, he suddenly lost his rhythm.

“To [still] play at this level is good,” said Lin, 34.

Earlier, Tai Tzu-ying, the world No.1 from Taiwan became the first women’s singles player in more than a decade to successfully defend the title.

But she was not happy with her performance after a 22-20, 21-13 win over Akane Yamaguchi, the world No.2 from Japan, in which Tai had to save a game point in the first game.

“I made a lot of mistakes, and in the end I just had to run with her,” she said. “I would like to come back again next year and play better.”

But there was also success for Japan when Yuta Watanabe and Arisa Higashino became the first players from the country to win the mixed doubles title. The unseeded pair upset Chinese fifth seeds Zheng Siwei and Huang Yaqiong 15-21, 22-20, 21-16.