Badminton Asia Championships 2024: Jonatan Christie wins maiden continental title as Wang Zhi Yi grabs second
Indonesian shuttler Jonatan Christie captured his first continental title by beating home favourite Li Shi Feng in the men’s singles final at the 2024 Badminton Asia Championships in Ningbo, People's Republic of China on Sunday (14 April).
The reigning All England Open champion was in fine form, winning the match in straight games (21-15, 21-16) to upgrade the silver he won in Manila 2022 to gold.
The opening exchanges of the match were a tight affair, with the first game being a one-point contest until Christie broke away at 8-7. He opened a four-point lead, which proved enough of a cushion to stave off Li's challenge in the first game.
The Indonesian badminton ace found his rhythm in the second game, leading the contest from the first point before pulling well clear at 8-3. Li put up some resistance in the latter stages of the game, winning five consecutive points to get within three.
The Chinese fought valiantly, raising his hopes of forcing the match into a third game, but Christie persevered, scoring three unanswered points to claim the victory.
In the women’s singles final, China’s Wang Zhi Yi beat compatriot and Olympic champion, Chen Yufei, 21-19, 21-7 to reclaim her Asian title.
Wang conceded her 2022 title a year ago in Dubai where she fell short in the quarterfinals against two-time world champion Akane Yamaguchi.
But the 23-year-old Wang would not be denied in the all-Chinese final against the second-seeded favourite, Chen.
The duo was embroiled in an epic battle in the first game, with Wang getting a slight edge over her compatriot for a 1-0 lead. The advantage gave Wang the confidence boost she needed as she opened a 6-2 lead early on.
Wang then went on a nine-point rampage, opening a nearly unassailable lead over a defeated Chen, who could not find the counterpunch to win the elusive Asian title. Chen had to settle for her second silver medal at the continental championships.
Home pair Liang Wei Keng and Wang Chang put an end to Goh Sze Fei and Nur Izzuddin’s dream tournament with a 17-21, 21-15, 21-10 win in the men’s doubles final.
In the women’s doubles final, Baek Ha-na and Lee So-hee of the Republic of Korea ended China’s hopes of sweeping all five titles early on, beating Zhang Shu Xian and Zheng Yu 23-21, 21-12.
The Asian Championships is one of the last major events to award Olympic qualification ranking points. With the window for ranking points closing at the end of April, performances in the continental championships can make or break players' hopes of qualifying for Paris 2024.
As National Olympic Committees have the exclusive authority for the representation of their respective teams at the Olympic Games, athletes' participation at Paris 2024 depends on their NOC selecting them to represent their delegation.