In a thrilling turn of events at the Thomas and Uber Cup, traditional badminton powerhouses China and Indonesia are set to clash in both the men’s and women’s finals on Sunday.
The Chinese men’s team secured their place in the Thomas Cup final after a hard-fought 3-1 victory over Malaysia. Shi Yuqi set the tone for China by defeating Malaysia’s top player Lee Zii Jia 21-19, 21-5 in just 39 minutes. Reflecting on his performance, Shi remarked, “My opponent has been in great form recently, and the first game was so intense. Honestly, I played very carefully in the second game, but I don’t know why he made more errors.”
Although the Malaysian duo Aaron Chia and Soh Wooi Yik leveled the score by overcoming China’s Liang Weikeng and Wang Chang 15-21, 21-12, 21-17, China’s resilience shone through. Li Shifeng restored the lead with a 21-17, 21-10 win over Leong Jun Hao, and the pair He Jiting and Ren Xiangyu sealed the victory by defeating Goh Sze Fei and Nur Izzuddin 18-21, 21-19, 21-12.
Defending champions Indonesia cruised past Team Chinese Taipei with a dominant 3-0 win, setting the stage for a historic showdown with China. Indonesia holds a record 14 Thomas Cup titles, while China has claimed 10.
On the women’s side, the Chinese team demonstrated their prowess by sweeping Japan 3-0 in the Uber Cup semi-finals. Olympic champion Chen Yufei gave China an early lead by defeating Aya Ohori 21-18, 21-15. The world No. 1 doubles pair Chen Qingchen and Jia Yifan overcame a tough challenge from Nami Matsuyama and Chiharu Shida, winning 14-21, 21-13, 23-21. “They played very well, but we always looked for a way to win. Even when we were down, we didn’t give up,” the Chinese pair commented.
He Bingjiao, who recently qualified for the Paris Olympics, secured China’s spot in the final with a convincing 21-8, 21-18 victory over Nozomi Okuhara. The Chinese women’s team, leading the Uber Cup record with 15 titles, will face Indonesia, who have won the tournament three times.
Indonesia’s women’s team earned their place in the final by edging out defending champions South Korea 3-2, marking their return to the Uber Cup final for the first time since 2008.
The upcoming finals promise to be a showcase of badminton excellence, as both nations vie for supremacy in the sport’s most prestigious team competitions.
Reference(s):
cgtn.com
