NANJING, July 30 (Xinhua) -- Chinese star shuttler Shi Yuqi defeated 93-ranked Adam Mendrek of the Czech Republic 21-13, 21-11 to march into the second round as the 2018 BWF World Championships got underway on Monday at the Nanjing Youth Olympics Sports Park.
Shi quickly rounded into form with a 5-0 dream start. Mendrek tried to close the gap with his smashes, but Shi fought steadily and claimed the first game.
The second game saw a grueling start but the world no.3 managed a five-point winning streak on the back of Mendrek's errors after the score was 6-6. Shi wrapped up the match in 38 minutes.
Despite the victory, the 2018 All England Open champion was not satisfied with his performance. "I have not gotten fully accustomed to the arena and [I haven't] given my best," Shi said. "The first match was not satisfactory. I must play better in future matches," he added.
Shi held his cards close to his chest when asked about a potential clash with his superstar teammate Lin Dan.
"I won't think too much about that. Lin Dan is the standard bearer for Chinese badminton. I just need to keep calm and demonstrate the energy and passion of the young generation," the 22-year-old said.
Born in Jiangsu, Shi Yuqi won the gold medal in the 2014 Youth Olympics here in the very same arena in front of a home crowd. "[I] hope I can repeat what I did in 2014," Shi said.
