World No 1 Shi Yuqi survived two match points on Saturday to book a world championship final meeting with Thai titleholder Kunlavut Vitidsarn, as top seed An Se-young was upset on the women’s side of the draw.
Chinese star Shi battled back from 18-20 down in the second game to beat Canadian youngster Victor Lai 13-21, 22-20, 21-16 and keep his bid for a first world title alive.
“I felt an emotional release when this one ended,” a breathless Shi said after 80 gruelling minutes on court.
“Lai played exceptionally well indeed. Although I trailed and faced sustained pressure throughout, I remained in a remarkably composed state.”
Lai, a 20-year-old student at York University in Toronto, told reporters his “unbelievable” run to a bronze medal in Paris might just convince him his future lies away from kinesiology.
“The past couple of years have been school but I think after now and this year I will focus more on badminton and put school to the side,” he said.