The surprising thing about world No.1 Yu Qi

KUALA LUMPUR: For a player of Shi Yu Qi's stature, it remains a curious anomaly.

The Chinese world No. 1 has won just about everything there is to win on the World Tour, yet he has never successfully defended a title.

That could soon change.

Yu Qi moved a step closer to rewriting that chapter on Friday after producing a ruthless display to outclass Hong Kong's Lee Cheuk Yiu 21-10, 21-7 in just 31 minutes to reach the semi-finals of the Malaysia Open.

The victory sets up a last-four clash against either Denmark's Anders Antonsen or Japan's Kenta Nishimoto, as Yu Qi continues his bid to become a first-time title defender in his career.

In sport, there is a familiar saying — winning a tournament is often easier than defending it, and Yu Qi's recent history offers a striking example.

Last year alone, Yu Qi had five opportunities to defend titles he had won in 2024, but failed to convert any of them.

His closest brushes came with runner-up finishes at the World Tour Finals and the Indonesia Open, where the final hurdle again proved elusive.

Yet Shi insists he feels no additional burden returning as the defending champion in Kuala Lumpur.

"I don't feel that kind of pressure," he said.

"Although I won the Malaysia Open last year, the opponents I faced then were different, and this year every opponent has improved significantly. I'm also pushing myself to compete with them.

"I don't really think in terms of defending a title," he added.

"It's more about fighting for it again and seeing if I can earn it."

Yu Qi now finds himself presented with the first of several opportunities in 2026 to finally complete a title defence — and he is just two wins away from doing so.

Form, too, is firmly on his side.

Yu Qi has not finished worse than a finalist in his last five appearances on the World Tour.

That sequence includes title wins at the Japan Open, China Open and the World Championships, before he rounded off the regular season with back-to-back runner-up finishes at the Denmark Open and the World Tour Finals.

Such consistency, however, comes amid an increasingly congested World Tour schedule — a challenge Shi believes all players must learn to manage.

"Everyone has their own way of coping," he said. "Most players now have strong support teams, whether in physiotherapy or mental preparation. The important thing is to find a method that suits you and adapt to this kind of competition format — because ultimately, it's the same for everyone."

He also acknowledged the growing physical demands of the modern game, stressing that preparation and recovery are now non-negotiable.

"It still depends on the individual's playing style, combined with recovery methods and physical conditioning," he said. "Of course, your physical reserves are very important. Without a solid training base, it becomes much harder to cope with continuous matches."

Shi arrives in Kuala Lumpur buoyed by a timely confidence boost, having captured the King Cup International just two weeks ago — a lucrative invitational tournament hosted by Chinese legend Lin Dan — where he defeated Antonsen in the final.

This marks Shi's seventh appearance at the Malaysia Open, where he was also a semi-finalist in 2019, before finally lifting the title last year.