After he’d scrambled for the better part of 51 minutes to land his second YONEX All England title, world No.1 Shi Yu Qi would pay the ultimate compliment on the player he’d just beaten: “He deserved the win.”

An admission of this sort is rare; rarer still is that it comes from a No.1 against a world No.22. Yet, Shi Yu Qi knew that it had taken him all his experience, and some luck, to dodge a bullet from Lee Chia Hao in the final. His opponent had produced a vintage performance of deception, touch and speed, replete with flicks, slices, delayed shots and unexpected angles which had repeatedly found Shi chasing the shuttle all round the court.

Even as a child, Lee Chia Hao’s prospects were often talked about – to the extent that he recalls he felt pressure while growing up. As the son of a former national champion and coach, and with an elder sibling – Lee Chia Hsin – having played internationally, Chia Hao was expected to carry the family’s tradition.

“We are a badminton family, so people think that I naturally will do well in badminton,” Lee Chia Hao said. “I’ve had this pressure since when I was young. I’ve been trying to avoid listening to those voices. My family tries to protect me – they encourage me and avoid putting any pressure on me. Ever since I can remember I’ve looked forward to playing at the highest level and to stand on the court and play for the national team. This is one of the motivations to play badminton.”

Arriving at the YONEX All England, Lee Chia Hao was but one of several competitors, with some notable accomplishments such as a runner-up place at the Korea Open 2024 and semifinals at the Australian Open 2024. Yet, since those results, he’d struggled in making it past the early rounds – he’d arrived at the All England having fallen in the first or second round of nine of his last 10 events.

“Not so long ago, I wasn’t satisfied with my performance, I wasn’t happy with my mentality and strategy on court,” said Lee. “I had a discussion with my coaches and made changes and this week, I was trying to apply the changes we worked on – it didn’t matter if I won or lost.”

After a close win over Lee Cheuk Yiu he’d beat Yushi Tanaka, Kenta Nishimoto and the in-form Alex Lanier. The Frenchman, widely expected to make the final, ran into an opponent whose playing style he just could not get the hang of.

“He has a specific game style, he’s really technical,” said Lanier. “It’s quite unique, actually. The speed he puts on the shot and all the deception. I wasn’t good with the legs, I was fatigued. So it was worse to have all this deception against me. The intensity he puts with the shots, that was the problem today.”

Where did the deception come from?

“There isn’t a specific player I’ve learnt from,” Lee Chia Hao said. “I watch many players do things like that. I have to mention Tai Tzu Ying. I don’t train with her but she practices in the same hall. By watching such players, I naturally learn from them. Watching her train has given me inspiration.”

Lee Chia Hao is no teen prodigy – he’s 25. Beating Viktor Axelsen and Lee Zii Jia at the Hong Kong Open 2023 did cause people to sit up and take notice, but he had been unable to consistently follow up with further such big moments. It was finally at the All England when it all came together. Fans of the delicate art will hope there’s more to come from a player who might finally have found the right ingredients for his magic potion.