Shi Yuqi of China celebrates his victory in the men's singles of the quarterfinals at the Thomas Cup in Aarhus, Denmark, October 15, 2021. /CFP
China stayed on track to defend their titles by defeating Thailand 3-0 in both the men's Thomas and women's Uber Cup quarterfinals in Aarhus, Denmark, on Friday.
In the Thomas Cup, world No. 10 Shi Yuqi of China started the rout with a straightforward 21-14, 21-17 win over 23-year-old Kantaphon Wangcharoen in their singles' opener at the Ceres Arena.
Having been defeated by Thailand's No. 2 singles shuttler Kunlavut Vitidsarn at the recent Sudirman Cup, Shi came prepared to face both Vitidsarn and Thai No. 1 Wangcharoen.
China's games started early in the morning on two consecutive match days, and Shi said he had felt sleepy after the two early starts.
"I feel a bit tired, but as a professional player, I need to adjust to the time schedule, day or night, and motivate myself to play the best. Winning the opener gives my teammates more confidence in the following matches," said the 25-year-old.
He Jiting (L) and Zhou Haodong of China in action in the men's doubles of the quarterfinals against Thailand at the Thomas Cup in Aarhus, Denmark, October 15, 2021. /CFP
After Shi's victory, He Jiting and Zhou Haodong smashed Supak Jomkoh and Kittinupong Kedren 21-10, 21-18 in straight sets.
"We're playing much better than yesterday [against India]. Vitidsarn is a strong opponent in the third matchup, so it's a perfect scenario that we lead 2-0," Zhou said.
"It seemed we were trapped in the last match against the Indian pair. The coach did lots of analysis for us," He said. "The loss in the Sudirman Cup is still in my head and I believe I've found the right tactics to fight them."
Li Shifeng of China celebrates his victory in the men's singles of the quarterfinals at the Thomas Cup in Aarhus, Denmark, October 15, 2021. /CFP
Li Shifeng, 21, then claimed an exciting 21-13, 17-21, 21-7 win over Vitidsarn in the third match, sending China into the semifinals.
Li had played against Vitidsarn many times without winning between 2017 and 2019. He called this victory "a successful achievement" in his post-match interview with Xinhua.
"I think he is under greater pressure than me because China had led 2-0 before our match," Li said. "The coach told me to forget the records of previous matchups. The team event is very different from the individual one. Everything is possible if we fight hard. All I was thinking was to have a good fight with him."
In the Uber Cup quarterfinals, China's Chen Yufei won the opener rushing to a 5-2 lead over Ratchanok Intanon who then chose to retire and forfeit the match for personal reasons.
Another Chinese shuttler He Bingjiao won 21-15, 21-16 in the singles.
Chinese pair Chen Qingchen and Jia Yifan defeated Thai duo Rawinda Prajongjai and Puttita Supajirakul 21-15, 21-10 in the doubles.
Team China will face Japan in Thomas and Uber Cup semifinals on Friday.
(With input from Xinhua)