Li Jiahao’s Stunning Comeback at the VICTOR Hong Kong Open: The Dark Horse of Men’s Singles

2023-09-14 09:16:55

[Tilu News]The “VICTOR Hong Kong Open Badminton Championship” staged the top 16 matches of each group at the Hong Kong Coliseum today (14th). After defeating “World No. 1” Axelsen last night, Chinese Taipei player Li Jiahao once again competed with the 2022 The 2018 Asian Championship champion, Lee Zii Jia of Malaysia, fought 3 fierce games. In the end, Li Jiahao staged a comeback with a score of 2:1, becoming the strongest “dark horse” in men’s singles at this year’s Hong Kong Station.

Li Jiahao Li Zijia

Li Jiahao, ranked 37th in the world, upset “Slay the Dragon” in the first round of the Hong Kong Station and became the fifth player to defeat Viktor Axelsen this season. He will face Malaysia’s “No. 1” in the round of 16. Li Zijia, who is currently ranked 16th in the world, has reached the top four of three tournaments this year, becoming another high wall for Li Jiahao’s advancement. In the past four meetings between the two, they each won two. Li Jiahao continued his good performance in the early part of the first game, but after leading 8:3, he was chased by Li Zijia, and then lost the first game 19:21. Li Jiahao regained his form in the second game, and Li Zijia made many mistakes and went out of bounds. However, the former successfully adjusted in time and regained the game at 21:19.

In the decisive game, Li Jiahao bravely saved the ball many times, but was still 7:11 behind. After changing sides, it was Li Zijia’s turn to make repeated mistakes, but he recovered in time at 20:20. However, he was caught again and Li Jiahao won 22:20 and advanced. The top 8 are against Hong Kong’s Lee Cheuk Yew or Indonesia’s Kishti.

24-year-old Li Jiahao was born into a badminton family. His father Li Mouzhou has won the Taiwan championship 15 times. His mother Chen Xiaoli has also become a Taiwan champion. As for his sister Li Jiahao, she is also the number one in Taiwan in women’s doubles and mixed doubles. Regarding repelling strong opponents for two consecutive games, Li Jiahao admitted that the process was a dream: “I couldn’t react just like yesterday. I didn’t expect to win these two games. I am also satisfied with my performance in these two games, and I have moments of enjoying the game more.” He revealed that he had encountered a low point earlier, and his results were not satisfactory due to poor mental adjustment. However, he was satisfied with his performance in Hong Kong at this moment, especially when he was chased down by his opponents and was still able to adjust his thoughts. “I didn’t think too much, I just wanted to do it.” Take it point by point and cherish the atmosphere of competing against top players.”

Pictures and text: Li Zizheng

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