World No. 1 Shi Yuqi thrilled the home crowd in Shenzhen after earning 1.2 million yuan (RM692,600) by defeating Denmark’s Anders Antonsen in the King Cup final on Sunday.
Playing in front of a packed arena, the Chinese star narrowly took the opening game 22-20 before overpowering Antonsen 21-7 in the second to secure the prestigious invitational title.
Antonsen, ranked world No. 3, was unable to defend his crown but still collected 600,000 yuan (RM346,300) as the runner-up.
Yuqi thanked the fans for creating a memorable atmosphere, saying the support from the crowd made the match special and rewarding for both players.
The King Cup, founded by badminton icon Lin Dan and launched last year, featured several notable names including Kento Momota, Jonatan Christie, Alex Lanier, Jason Teh, Victor Lai and China’s Liu Yang Mingyu. The total prize pool stood at 3 million yuan (RM1.7 million).
Yuqi’s earnings at the King Cup were particularly striking when compared to last week’s World Tour Finals, where he received US$120,000 (RM485,340) as runner-up, a sum significantly lower than his winnings in Shenzhen.
