Guangzhou (China), Canada’s Michelle Li on Thursday rallied to beat Chinese world No. 3 Chen Yufei 16-21, 21-18, 21-17 on day two of the BWF World Tour Finals, badminton’s elite year-end event here.
Both players had lost their opening matches on Wednesday, with Li losing to Japan’s Nozomi Okuhara and Chen going down to Thailand’s Ratchanok Intanon, reports Efe news.
The Hong Kong-born Li held her nerve in the last game of the match after coming back from a game down and provoke unforced errors from her opponent.
“In the third game, I was taking it one point at a time and she started to feel the pressure and then she started making mistakes,” world No. 16 Li said after the match, according to an official BWF report.
The win helped Li keep alive her hopes of reaching the semifinals of the tournament, while hosts China are on the verge of losing their sole title contender in the women’s singles in the form of Chen.
The Chinese player said she was tentative in her movements after slipping on court yesterday against Intanon, whom Li faces tomorrow in the last group match.
The top two players from the two groups will qualify for the semifinals, after which a knockout draw will be held.
The BWF World Tour Finals is one of badminton’s most prestigious tournaments and the year’s biggest event in terms of prize money ($1.5 million).
