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On May 5, 2024, Beijing time, the Thomas Cup and Uber Cup, the top badminton competition, ushered in the final day. In the Uber Cup final, the Chinese women's badminton team defeated the Indonesian team 3-0 after a fierce competition and won the 16th championship in history! This victory allowed the national badminton team to once again prove its absolute dominance in the world badminton arena.
In the first match, Chen Yufei, as a singles player of the national feather, faced world No. 9 Mariska Trasencia. In the first game, Chen Yufei played a 14-1 offensive frenzy and took the next game 21-7. In the second game, Chen Yufei scored four points in a row after falling behind 1-2, and finally won 21-16 to win a valuable point for Guoyu.
The second match will feature world No.1s Chen Qingchen/Jia Yifan against Indonesia's Ramadanti/Rebecca Sugiato. After falling behind 4-5 in the first game, the Fan Chen combination scored three points in a row to overtake, once taking a 19-10 lead and taking a 21-11 lead. In the second game, Fan Chen's combination took the overall lead, 21-8 and then the next city, and Guoyu led 2-0.
He Bingjiao played in the third singles against Indonesian teenager Esther Vadoyo. In the first game, He Bingjiao fell behind and lost a game 10-21. But she was not discouraged, and she took the lead in the second game, playing a wave of 7-0 offensive to take a 17-9 lead and win back the game 21-15. In the decisive game, the two sides fought to 14 draws, He Bingjiao scored three points in a row to take the lead, and finally locked the victory 21-17, locking the victory for the national feather.
It is worth mentioning that Indonesia's 18-year-old rising star Esther Vadoyo has performed well in this Uber Cup. As the third runner-up in the 2022 World Youth Championship and the semi-finalists of the 2023 Korea Badminton Masters, she showed excellent ball sense and potential against He Bingjiao. Although he couldn't help Indonesia win the championship in the end, the young player was undoubtedly a highlight of this Uber Cup.
Looking back on the whole competition, the national feather women's singles Chen Yufei and He Bingjiao played well, and the women's doubles "Fanchen Combination" also showed the dominance of the world No. 1. Although the scheduled fourth and fifth games were not played, the form of Liu Shengshu/Zhang Shuxian and Han Yue is also expected.
Surprisingly, the defending champions South Korea, who were the favourites to win the Uber Cup, lost 2-3 to Indonesia in the semi-finals. World No. 1 An Xiying was absent due to abdominal pain, and had to change to one single in the last three singles. Although the 18-year-old South Korean teenager Kim Ga-eun bravely responded to the battle, he was still difficult to beat, and the Korean team finally fell short.
Although the Japanese team had a single Akane Yamaguchi absent and the overall strength was not as good as that of the national team, Nami Matsuyama/Chiyo Shida showed great resilience in the match against "Fan Chen", and once led 18-12 in the deciding game. Despite not causing an upset in the end, the Japanese duo's performance was equally impressive, with Shida even bursting into tears after the race.
Since 1998, the Uber Cup has been won by China, South Korea and Japan. South Korea ended a six-game winning streak in 2010 and Japan made their debut in 2018, when both China and South Korea reached the semi-finals. Since the Chinese team participated in the competition for the first time in 1984, it has participated in the Uber Cup a total of 21 times, reached the final 20 times, and has now won 16 championships.
Indonesia reached the final for the first time in 16 years, with the last time going back to 2008. They beat Germany 3-1 in the semi-finals, but lost 0-3 to China in the final. Xie Xingfang, Yang Wei/Zhang Jiewen and Lu Lan defeated Julianti, Nasir/Marisa and Ferdasari respectively to win the title. After 16 years, the Indonesian team once again launched an attack on the championship, although it was ultimately a failure, but its overall strength should not be underestimated.
For the Chinese badminton team, the victory of this Uber Cup is undoubtedly a shot in the arm. In recent years, with the continuous improvement of the strength of other countries and regions, the national feather has encountered unprecedented challenges in the world competition. In last year's Sudirman Cup, although the Chinese team finally won the championship, it was almost forced to draw by the Thai team in the semi-finals. At the Tokyo Olympics, the national feather team also failed to continue its previous glory, only winning 1 gold, 2 silver and 2 bronze medals.
Therefore, a victory in this Uber Cup will be crucial to rebuild the confidence and dominance of the national feather. With this victory, the Chinese team proved to the world that their absolute dominance in the field of women's badminton is still solid. The outstanding performance of Chen Yufei, He Bingjiao and other main players has also accumulated valuable experience and confidence for the upcoming Paris Olympics.
At the same time, we cannot ignore the progress of other countries and regions. The Indonesian team returned to the Uber Cup final for the first time in 16 years and showed strong competitiveness. At just 18 years old, Esther Wadoyo had a strong performance against He Bingjiao and had a promising future. Japan lost in the semi-finals, but Naomi Matsuyama/Chiyo Shida's match against "Mortal Dust" was a classic, showcasing their resilience and potential.
For Guoyu, how to maintain its own advantages while continuing to maintain its leading edge will be an important topic. As the Olympic cycle unfolds, the development of young players and the replacement of old and new players will become more and more important. Major players such as He Bingjiao and Chen Yufei need to maintain their peak in experience and form, while rising stars like Wang Zhiyi also need to grow as soon as possible to inject fresh blood into the national feather.
In addition, in the men's event, the national team also faces serious challenges. Judging from the performance of this Thomas Cup, the strength of Indonesia, Denmark, Japan and other countries and regions should not be underestimated. The national team needs to find new breakthroughs in the men's singles and men's doubles if it can achieve a full-fledged rise at the Paris Olympics.
This year's Uber Cup has witnessed the re-coronation of the Chinese team, and at the same time, rising stars such as Indonesia and Japan have emerged. Chen Yufei, He Bingjiao and other main forces played well, and the young players were also not to be outdone, and the national feather was showing a good situation of the three generations of the old, middle and young working together. And with the Olympic Games approaching, they will undoubtedly prove to the world once again the glorious tradition of Chinese badminton in Paris!