Source: Oriental Image/Jiang Xu
[Saba Sports News] The 2024 Indonesia Badminton Open has officially begun. Here, the Chinese badminton team holds an embarrassing record: they have not won the men’s singles championship in this tournament for 34 years. The last Chinese player to win the men’s singles championship in the Indonesian Open was Xiong GuoBao 35 years ago. For young fans, this name seems strange and distant. Even Lin Dan, known as the strongest men’s singles player in the history of world badminton, has never won the Indonesian Badminton Open in his career. His best result here was as a runner-up, losing to the famous Indonesian player Taufik Hidayat in the final. That Indonesian Badminton Open was the closest the Chinese badminton team has come to the men’s singles championship in the past 34 years. The Chinese team had three players in the top four at the time, but they couldn’t stop Taufik from claiming the top spot at home. Now, the responsibility of breaking this curse falls on Shi Yu Qi, who is on the verge of becoming the world number one. Viktor Axelsen, the defending champion, has announced his withdrawal in advance, which is undoubtedly good news for the Chinese team, as they aim to end their men’s singles championship drought in Indonesia.