Shi Yuqi, a badminton player from Nantong. [Photo provided to en.nantong.gov.cn]

Nantong badminton player Shi Yuqi defeated French player Alex Lanier 2-0 on July 20, helping Chinese badminton reclaim the podium at the Japan Open Badminton Championships after a 10-year gap.

Following Zhao Jianhua, Shi became the second Nantong athlete to win the men's singles title at the Japan Open and the 10th Chinese badminton player in history to achieve gold in the event.

Shi was seeded third in this year's men's singles event. Throughout the tournament, he showed excellent form and secured his first-ever men's singles title at the Japan Open. This marks his third men's singles championship victory on the international stage this year, having previously won the Malaysia Open and the All England Open.

The Japan Open Badminton Championships were established in 1982, and in 1985, Nantong's legend Zhao triumphed in the men's singles event. He and Wu Jianqiu, who won the women's singles title that year, became the first Nantong players to win at the Japan Open. Subsequently, three Nantong players have won the women's doubles and mixed doubles titles a total of 10 times.

Chinese athletes have won the men's singles title at the Japan Open 13 times, with Lin Dan being the most successful Chinese men's singles player in the tournament's history. He claimed the men's singles gold in the 2005, 2006, and 2015 editions.