Li Shifeng again failed to shake the monkey off his back as the Chinese fourth seed went down to compatriot Lu Guangzu in three games in the Badminton Asia Championships 2025 semi-finals on Saturday (11 April).
Li is now 0-5 for his career against Lu, who reached the championship match with a 19-21, 21-10, 21-14 win.
Lu will face the winner of Loh Kean Yew–Kunlavut Vitidsarn in Sunday’s final.
Lu owns Li
Before a home crowd for both shuttlers in Ningbo, Li just came out ahead in a close first game, winning the final two pints from 19-all.
In stark contrast, Lu ran away with the second set to force a third, capturing nine consecutive points from 9-7 that Li had no chance of erasing.
The decisive game was level until 12-12, when Lu scored six straight to effectively put the match to bed.
There was also an all-Chinese semi-final in women’s singles as second-seeded Han Yue outclassed Gao Fangjie 21-14, 21-16.
