China’s men’s singles squad suffered its worst opening-round result in World Championships history on Monday in New Delhi, as only eighth seed Li Shifeng advanced to the round of 32. Top seed and defending champion Shi Yuqi fell to India’s Ayush Shetty 14-21, 21-13, 19-21, while 16th seed Weng Hongyang lost in straight games to Japan’s Yushi Tanaka 21-17, 21-14. Consequently, Li became the only survivor among three seeded Chinese entries, sparing the nation a complete men’s singles wipe-out at this stage of the tournament.
A Rare Seeding Collapse
Because all three Chinese players held seeded positions, none faced another seed in the opening two rounds. Nevertheless, the group suffered heavy losses anyway, a result that surprised many longtime followers of the sport. Shi, who won last year’s world title, could not convert a strong start against Shetty into victory, dropping the decider despite building an early lead in the third game. Meanwhile, Tanaka handled Weng comfortably across two sets without facing serious resistance. As a result, Li’s straightforward 21-7, 21-10 win over Kazakhstan’s Dmitriy Panarin carried outsized importance for the entire team, since it kept China from an unprecedented complete first-round exit.
A Season of Declining Form
Although the setback surprised many observers, it followed a season of underwhelming results rather than representing a sudden collapse. Overall, China failed to win any of four Super 1000 titles this year, and results across several completed Super 750 events told a similar story of missed opportunities. By contrast, Shi alone captured three Super 1000 crowns and one Super 750 title last year, before adding the World Championships gold to his resume as the crowning achievement of that campaign. Given that record, the current results mark a clear step backward for both the team and its individual players. Looking ahead, Li now moves on to face Malaysia’s Leong Jun Hao in the round of 32, a match that could determine how much further China’s men’s singles hopes can travel at this year’s championships in New Delhi.
