TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Taiwan’s Lee Chia-hao lost to China's Shi Yuqi (石宇奇) 0-2 in the final round of the Yonex All England Open Badminton Championships on Sunday.

Lee's opponent praised him for his fast-paced play and hard shots. Shi also said Lee should have won the match, per CNA.

Shi remains the top-ranked men’s single badminton competitor, while Lee is ranked 22nd. The two battled for 51 minutes, with Lee losing by two slight margins: 17-21, 19-21.

Taiwan coach Feng Sheng-chieh (馮勝杰) said Lee's fast tempo and unpredictable style restricted his opponent, who had to guard against hard shots. Feng said Shi was uncomfortable throughout the match and won because of Lee’s higher error rate.

Lee said he had to be in peak form and constantly change rhythm and tactics to score. He said, "Any deviation will lead to an error, and this is why I lost consecutive points in the second half of the second game."

From the Taipei Open in September to this year, Lee did not advance past the first round of any tournament. He said, "This has been a big blow to me, but I later changed my mindset and was able to challenge myself, which allowed me to perform better in France and England."

Lee also joked that his original goal for this tournament was winning just one game in England. He said he never expected to make it to the finals. 

“Becoming the runner-up feels like a victory over myself. At least, it shows that I have changed my outlook, and my new approach has been successful,” Lee said.