The country has fared considerably better in the other badminton events.
Its women retained the team title gold, while the men took silver after losing 3-2 to Indonesia in the final.
Chen Yufei and Wang Zhiyi both took bronze after losing their respective women’s singles semi-finals. There are no bronze-medal playoffs in Asian Games badminton.
China has also reached Tuesday’s finals in all three doubles events – men’s, women’s and mixed – guaranteeing at least silver in each on the last day of badminton competition.
FORM AND FITNESS
Li has attributed his early exit from the Games partly to the toll of Thursday’s team event final, where he lost 21-23, 21-15, 16-21 to Indonesia’s Alwi Farhan in a nearly 90-minute encounter.
“My spirits were low … After a day of rest, I really wanted to play well in the first match of the men’s singles but I still couldn’t adjust my form well,” Li said to the media after his men’s singles exit on Saturday.
“I know I shouldn’t give up, but I just didn’t do well in the end.”
Fellow shuttler Shi, meanwhile, has spoken about struggling for form and fitness heading into the Games, adding that he was affected by previous injuries.