Chinese shuttlers began the Badminton World Federation (BWF) World Tour Finals with a strong performance in Hangzhou, east China’s Zhejiang Province, on Wednesday, achieving six victories out of nine matches on the opening day.
Men’s Singles
In the men’s singles Group B, home favorite Shi Yuqi defeated Jonatan Christie of Indonesia in a thrilling three-set match, 21-16, 17-21, 21-8. “I won because I played with better patience,” Shi said after the match. “My opponent is great on both offense and defense. I have learned my lesson from our previous battle and tried to improve my transitions.”
Meanwhile, Shi’s compatriot Li Shifeng faced a tough challenge against top seed Anders Antonsen of Denmark in Group A, ultimately losing 221-14, 21-19.
Women’s Singles
No. 1 seed Wang Zhiyi delighted the home crowd by defeating Busanan Ongbamrungphan of Thailand 21-19, 21-14 in Group A. In Group B, second-seeded Han Yue edged out Japan’s Akane Yamaguchi with a score of 21-19, 21-17.
Women’s Doubles
The Chinese women’s doubles pairs showcased their talent with both teams securing victories. Liu Shengshu and Tan Ning rallied to defeat India’s Treesa Jolly and Gayatri Gopichand Pullela 20-22, 22-20, 21-14 in Group A. “We are still in the process of gradually learning from our experiences in major events,” Liu told CGTN Sports Scene’s Yuan Rui.
Tan added, “As young players, we face opponents who are older than us and approach each match with a mindset focused on challenging them and learning from them. Therefore, I believe that being Olympic runners-up and world number one means little to us.”
In the other group, Chen Qingchen and Jia Yifan defeated the No. 2 seeds Rin Iwanaga and Kie Nakanishi of Japan with a convincing 21-11, 21-17 victory.
Men’s Doubles
The men’s doubles pair He Jiting and Ren Xiangyu faced a comeback loss against Malaysia’s Aaron Chia and Soh Wooi Yik, falling 21-17, 18-21, 15-21 in Group B.
Mixed Doubles
In an all-Chinese mixed doubles clash in Group A, Jiang Zhengbang and Wei Yanxin overcame their compatriots Zheng Siwei and Huang Yaqiong with a 21-17, 22-20 victory.
The BWF World Tour Finals continue in Hangzhou, with Chinese shuttlers aiming to build on their strong start and make a mark on the global badminton stage.
Reference(s):
Chinese shuttlers begin World Tour Finals with six wins, three losses
cgtn.com
