Uni High's Andrea Li dominates field to win third state badminton title in a row
May 11—DEKALB — It's official. Andrea Li is now a three-time state badminton champion, and this one might have been the easiest.
"This one felt like everything went smoothly for me," Li said. "Usually with tournaments, there's always that little bit that you wish you could have done better, but this tournament went really well for me."
The Uni High senior made it to Saturday's quarterfinal round after making quick work of her first three opponents on Friday, not letting any of them score any more than six points in a game.
The final three rounds were a little tougher, as Li let each of her opponents reach double digits at least once, but the three-peat was never in doubt. Li beat Naperville North's Kelly Hu 21-12, 21-4 in the quarterfinals. Her biggest scare came against Palatine's Sophia Lin in the semifinals, but she came out on top 21-10, 21-16. Li then took care of business in the championship with a 21-9, 21-10 win against Aurora Illinois Math and Science Academy's Carissa Chen.
For some, stepping to the top of the podium year after year can get old, but Li isn't there yet. She assured that "it's still exciting."
Li is now the fifth three-time IHSA singles champion in tournament history. She said it's "super cool" and "an honor" to join such an elite club. The last to accomplish the feat was Lyons' Stephanie Lin from 2013-15. The two have actually met before, as Lin's dad has officiated many of Li's tournaments.
If not for her runner-up finish as a freshman in 2021, Li could have been the only four-time winner. Despite the loss, in the title match, Li said that first experience at state has been her favorite badminton memory. With almost everything in her life happening through a virtual lens during the COVID-19 pandemic, she had a lot of time at home to practice, which led her to the state stage.
"That felt like a defining moment in my career," Li said. "State my freshman year was super awesome because it felt like all that improvement I did was able to pay off. And the crowd was super supportive, even though no one knew me and I was just a freshman."
As one of the only high school badminton players outside the Chicago area, Li had to make regular trips north for training and tournaments. She had just returned home when she called The News-Gazette to talk about winning state one last time, and that's when it hit her that it might have been one last time.
"For the past five years, it's been me and my parents making that two-and-a-half-hour commute every weekend," Li said. "Thinking about how this may be the last time before I graduate is kind of bittersweet, but I'm also glad to end it on a high note and let it come full circle."
