Chinese badminton players have made a clean sweep into the quarterfinals of all five events at the China Open in Changzhou, east China’s Jiangsu Province, following impressive performances on Thursday.
In the men’s singles, home favorite Weng Hongyang staged a remarkable comeback to defeat Chou Tien-chen of Chinese Taipei 20-22, 21-18, 21-15, securing his place in the last eight. Fellow Chinese player Lei Lanxi also advanced after knocking out Japan’s Kenta Nishimoto with a convincing 21-8, 21-17 victory.
Weng is set to face Denmark’s Anders Antonsen in the quarterfinals, while Lei will take on Jonatan Christie of Indonesia. Should both Chinese shuttlers emerge victorious, they will meet each other in the semifinals, guaranteeing a spot for China in the final.
In the women’s singles, Wang Zhiyi triumphed over compatriot Zhang Yiman in a thrilling match that ended 29-27, 21-21. Wang will next face another home player, Gao Fangjie, in the quarterfinals. Gao advanced after eliminating Sung Shuo-yun of Chinese Taipei 9-21, 21-13, 21-17 in a hard-fought match.
In men’s doubles, the pair of He Jiting and Ren Xiangyu defeated Denmark’s Daniel Lundgaard and Mads Vestergaard 21-11, 21-16, becoming the only Chinese duo to reach the quarterfinals in this category. They will face another Danish pair, Kim Astrup and Anders Skaarup Rasmussen, for a place in the semifinals.
The strong performances by Chinese shuttlers have energized local fans, as they continue to showcase their prowess on home turf at the prestigious tournament.
Reference(s):
Home shuttlers make quarterfinals in all events at China open
cgtn.com
