Chinese men, Korean women claim Thomas and Uber Cup titles at badminton team event

China figured in both the Thomas Cup and Uber Cup finals but only the men managed to prevail as the South Korean women clinched their second title in the last three years in Horsens, Denmark, on Sunday.

It turned out to be a dramatic final day of action at the biennial world team championship in badminton. The Republic of Korea earned their second Uber Cup title in the last three stagings, beating the People’s Republic of China 3-1.

Indian shuttlers fail the French conquest, settle for bronze medal in the Thomas Cup

The Chinese men, however, were able to prevail in their championship clash with France. But the needed nearly four-and-a-half hours to win by the same scoreline, 3-1. It marked their second win in a row (2024) and 13th overall for China in the 34th edition of the event.

He Ji Ting and Ren Xiang Yu secured the triumph with a doubles victory over Eloi Adam and Leo Rossi 21-13, 21-16 after earlier singles wins by Weng Hong Yang and Shi Yu Qi over the famed French Popov brothers.

Korean women get the better of the Chinese

Earlier, Korea’s Baek Ha Na and Kim Hye Jeong overcame Jia Yi Fan and Zhang Shu Xian 16-21, 21-10, 21-13 to seal the victory in the Uber Cup, with Team Korea storming the court in celebration.

Kim Ga Eun’s takedown of Chen Yu Fei swung the final Korea’s way after the two teams were locked one-all 

The Republic of Korea now have won the Uber Cup in 2010, 2022 and 2026. China were looking for a record 17th team title, having beaten the Koreans in seven championship tilts dating back to 1988.

Paris 2024 Olympic champion and world No. 1 An Se Young opened the day with a win for the Koreans over No. 2 Wang Zhi Yi 21-10, 21-13, before the Chinese levelled matters at 1-1 with a doubles triumph. “Oh, I’m so happy to have got the first point,” said An. “I just focused on one point, every single point. I had to try my best and trust myself and keep on the attack.”

Kim Ga Eun put the Republic of Korea in the driver’s seat with an upset win over Chen Yu Fei, the world No. 17 shocking the fourth-ranked Chen 21-19, 21-15. Kim’s takedown of Chen Yu Fei swung the final Korea’s way after the two teams were locked one-all.

Showing a level of determination, athleticism and control that she hasn’t been often associated with, Kim outplayed Chen Yu Fei in straight games, setting the stage for her compatriots Kim Hye Jeong and Baek Ha Na to deliver the coup de grace.

“I wasn’t in the lineup for the tie against Indonesia in the semifinals as I hadn’t played well earlier,” Kim said. “But that helped me save energy for today, and it was also good motivation for the game. So, I’m very happy.”

Chen acknowledged she had lost to the better player: “She was patient. I made too many mistakes. I was thinking too much and also, my speed was down. So, she took this opportunity.”

Kim Hye Jeon and Baek Ha Na defeated Jia Yi Fan and Zhang Shu Xian 

Korea had recombined their doubles, but the first pair (Lee So Hee/Jeong Na Eun) didn’t stand a chance against world champions Liu Sheng Shu/Tan Ning. The gambit worked in the second. Baek Ha Na and Kim Hye Jeong dug in for the long haul, returning all that Jia Yi Fan and Zhang Shu Xian threw their way, while mounting quick counters to force errors from the Chinese.

https://x.com/TheKhelIndia/status/2050923938751074464?s=20

Jeong was everywhere, patrolling in the deep, keeping up the attack, and darting forward to create openings. Jia/Zhang finally ran aground in the 85 minutes, 16-21 21-10 21-13. The Uber Cup was theirs after two years.

“An started the fire going,” said Lee So Hee, who was part of Korea’s Uber Cup-winning team in 2022. “I want to thank Jeong for playing with me. Ga Eun was in a tough match, but she did it, I’m very proud of her. Kim and Baek were fantastic too.”

World No. 1 Shi Yu Qi leads the way

It was almost Monday morning by the time the Chinese men had finally fought off a ferocious French challenge, with Team France making the medal rounds of the men’s event for the first time in history.

World No. 1 Shi kicked things off with a 21-16, 16-21, 21-17 nail-biter over No. 4 Christo Popov, putting the Chinese out in front. But Alex Lanier’s two-game win against Li Shi Feng (21-13, 21-10) evened things up at one-apiece.

The Indian badminton players, who won the bronze medal at the Thomas Cup. Pics: BWF/Badminton Photo

It was a frustrating day at the office for the Popov clan, as Toma Popov then fell Weng in another close-as-can-be contest, 22-20, 20-22, 21-19. That win put China on the cusp, the team title sealed in the doubles. A fifth match-up, which was set to feature Christo and Toma in doubles, was therefore not needed.

After winning just one Thomas Cup between 2014 and 2022, the Chinese men have now won two in a row, having beaten Indonesia in 2024.