Text by BWF | Sudirman Cup 2025
Canada threw up some searching questions for powerhouses Korea with a feisty performance in Group B of the TotalEnergies BWF Sudirman Cup Finals 2025.
New Pan Am champion Victor Lai effected the breach first up, forcing Korea to fight back from a deficit. And although the four-time champions did wrap up the tie 4-1, the likelihood of further damage hung in the air with Canada well in sight of taking a second point.
For someone aged just 20 and playing his first Sudirman Cup, Lai showed great composure as he took on veteran Jeon Hyeok Jin. The lanky Lai dominated the Korean in the opening game and then stayed steady at the death in the second, winning a marathon last rally to take Canada a point up in the tie.
“It’s my first Sudirman Cup,” said Lai. “I’ve always wanted to represent Canada on the highest stage and I’m very happy that I took my opportunity and played well and pulled an upset against Korea.
“The shuttle was slow today, so the shots to the back had to be good. Also, there were certain shots he was good at so I had to be prepared and I did a lot of match analysis to learn his strengths and weaknesses.
“Last month I won the Pan Am, so that gave me a lot of confidence, it helped me feel good about my style and I’m very happy to show my improvements. I was very nervous in the beginning, but I won the first couple of points and that sort of released the nervousness. I train with Brian Yang, he’s played the Sudirman Cup many times, and he gave me some tips on how to play those with higher ranking and not to be nervous because I’m the underdog, so I had to just play my best and show I belong with the top players.”
