Text by BWF | Badminton Photo
Brian Yang bagged his first ever win over a top five player by beating world No.3 Li Shi Feng 21-18 14-21 23-21 at the DAIHATSU Indonesia Masters 2024.
“I’m exhausted,” said Yang after an 84-minute match. “That was really long, the hall is slow and you definitely need strong stamina to win matches like this.”
Yang held five match points against the All England champion but the Chinese caught up.
“I’m happy to win in the end. I had a lot of leads and blew them most of the time. The different ends played a big part in adapting to the conditions and nerves too,” said the Canadian.
“It was a combination of not wanting to take big risks, not get too excited and waiting for Li to lose the point. The key was to be patient and consistent.”
Yang plays Priyanshu Rajawat next after the Indian defeated Rasmus Gemke 21-18 21-19.
WHAT OTHERS SAID:
“American badminton is certainly on the rise. A few years ago there were just four players and now we are at around 10. For LA 2028 (Olympic Games), you’ll see more pushing through. From playing tournaments of this level I’ve noticed how calm and composed players are and that they are not afraid to take risks.” – Vinson Chiu
