Source: REUTERS/Peter Cziborra
[Saba Sports News] In the men’s singles quarter-finals of the 2024 Denmark Badminton Open, Chinese player Li Shifeng battled for three games but ultimately lost to the home player Anders Antonsen. Since winning the championship at last year’s Asian Games, Li Shifeng’s form has been consistently poor, and he has yet to win a title this year, making a championship victory crucial for boosting his confidence. During the match, Li Shifeng played very actively, trying every possible way to win. In the deciding game, when the score reached 20-20, a fatigued Li Shifeng requested a medical timeout to slow down the pace, which drew boos from the home crowd, and he was subsequently issued a yellow card. Unfortunately, Li Shifeng’s tactics did not work out; in the final two points of a long rally, he first hit the shuttlecock out of bounds and then failed to return properly, allowing Antonsen to score with a flat push, ultimately losing 1-2 (21-12, 8-21, 20-22). After the loss, Li Shifeng was very disappointed and angrily threw his racket, resulting in a red card from the referee. According to Badminton World Federation regulations, players receiving a red card are fined $500. In a post-match interview, when asked about the red card, Li Shifeng expressed that he was a bit frustrated after losing and did not want to answer the question; he acknowledged that Antonsen is a strong player and congratulated him on advancing.