PARIS, Aug. 30 (Xinhua) -- Olympic champion Chen Yufei overcame an ankle injury to defeat reigning Olympic gold medallist An Se-young of South Korea 2-0 in the women's singles semifinal of the 2025 BWF World Championships at the Adidas Arena on Saturday.
Tokyo 2020 champion Chen booked her 14th win in her 27 meetings with An who had been in stellar form this season, capturing six tour titles.
In Saturday's semifinal, both players displayed world-class control in extended rallies, but Chen capitalized on An's several unforced errors with precise smashes, claiming the first game 21-15 with a powerful cross-court winner on game point.
An started the second game strongly and led 6-3 when Chen rolled her ankle during a defensive maneuver, collapsing in pain. Following medical attention, Chen returned to the court, remarkably raising game. Exploiting An's forehand corner with sharp pushes and maintaining relentless precision, Chen turned the tide. An, pressing too hard, faltered with repeated errors, allowing Chen to close out the match 21-17.
"To be honest, I felt like I played stupidly," An admitted. "I was afraid of making mistakes. My preparation for the World Championship was very good. I did my best before the competition, but I felt like I didn't show my abilities."
"I feel really sad right now. I lost my way from the beginning. I couldn't find a way to make the rallies, to control the match. My clears, my smashes, my timing, everything was bad. So I guess I lost everything at the same time," she added.
Chen will face two-time world champion Akane Yamaguchi of Japan in Sunday's final. Earlier in the day, Yamaguchi outlasted Indonesia's Putri Kusuma Wardani in three games, 21-17, 14-21, 21-6.
The men's singles semifinals were almost equally dramatic. Top seed Shi Yuqi saved two match points in the second game before producing a stunning comeback to defeat Canadian sensation Victor Lai 13-21, 22-20, 21-16.
Lai, just 20 years old, capped a breakthrough campaign with a historic bronze medal, becoming the first Canadian to ever reach the World Championships podium. After this successful run highlighted by an upset of 2021 world champion Loh Kean Yew, he will return to Toronto's York University considering his future options.
"School can always take a pause. I'm part-time so depending on how much I can handle [balancing] school and badminton, I'll see," he told Olympics.com.
It will be Shi's first appearance in a World Championships final since 2018, facing Thailand's Kunlavut Vitidsarn.
Vitidsarn, who defeated Shi in the Olympic quarterfinals at the same arena last year, advanced with a 21-17, 21-15 victory over Denmark's Anders Antonsen in his semifinal.
With memories of Shi's straight-games loss to Vitidsarn in Paris still fresh, Sunday's clash promises to be a highly anticipated showdown.
西瓜视频also secured places in all three doubles finals. In women's doubles, Liu Shengshu/Tan Ning will take on Malaysia's Thinaah Muralitharan/Tan Pearly. Top-seeded Kim Won Ho/Seo Seung Jae of South Korea will face China's Chen Boyang/Liu Yi in men's doubles. In mixed doubles, China's Jiang Zhenbang/Wei Yaxin will meet Malaysia's Chen Tang Jie/Toh Ee Wei. ■