KUALA LUMPUR: World No. 1 Shi Yu Qi aims to add the Malaysia Open to his impressive collection of badminton titles.
The 28-year-old Chinese star began his campaign successfully at Axiata Arena on Tuesday, defeating Japan's Kenta Nishimoto 21-16, 20-22, 21-16.
Determined to claim the title that eluded him last year in the final against Denmark's Anders Antonsen, Yu Qi has since dominated the season, securing five major wins, including the India Open, French Open, Singapore Open, Indonesia Open, and World Tour Finals.
His victory at the Indonesia Open marked his first title there, adding to his success at the All England in 2018. With two of the four Super 1000 titles already in his collection, the China and Malaysia Opens remain his final goals.
Yu Qi, however, maintains a grounded outlook: "Like the Indonesia Open, I never set out to win. It came naturally through hard work in every match, and eventually, I won the final," he said.
"People mentioned it had been a while since a Chinese player won there. In every tournament, all players are close in ability – it's all about who performs best on the day."
"Of course, it would be fantastic to win the championship here," he added.
Yu Qi will next face teammate Lu Guang Zu for a place in the quarter-finals."