On May 21, the 18th Sudirman Cup World Badminton Mixed Team Championship ended in Suzhou, which is also the first international A-class individual sports event held in China since the outbreak of the new crown epidemic. In the final, the tournament's top seed and defending champion China defeated its old rivals South Korea 3-0 to lift the Su Cup for the 13th time and third time in a row.
Veteran powerhouse South Korea has reached the final eight times in the previous 17 Su Cups, winning four titles, and the last two victories have been defeated by China in the final. However, since winning the title in 2017, the team has missed the final for two consecutive times. In the Paris Olympic cycle, the South Korean team has significantly improved in all individual events except the men's singles, and this time aims to win the championship.
In the semifinals on the 20th, the hosts fought for seven hours to defeat the strong Japanese team 3-2. Six years ago, in the Gold Coast Su Cup, China narrowly defeated Japan in the semifinals, and then lost to South Korea in the final, missing out on seven consecutive titles. At the summary meeting after the semifinals, Zhang Jun, chairman of the Chinese Badminton Association, specially reminded the team members to summarize and adjust their mentality in time and prepare for more difficulties.
In this final, neither side had a team member, and the first set was a mixed doubles match. China sent world number one Zheng Siwei/Huang Yaqiong, while the opponent sent world number five Xu Chengzai/Cai Youyi. The latter only started playing after entering the knockout round due to injuries to the male player, and won both rounds. The IELTS combination has not been defeated in the previous eight meetings, but both matches in the Paris Olympic cycle have reached the tiebreaker.
In this battle, the two sides began with a fierce battle. After the battle reached 17 draws, the Korean team scored consecutive points and won the first set 21-18. The "IELTS" combination was still on the downside in the second game and trailed 16-19 at the end of the game. At the critical moment, the Korean combination made a series of mistakes. The Chinese pair played steadily, saving a field point and winning 21-19. In the tiebreaker, the Korean pair was demoralized and in no form, and the "IELTS" combination sealed the victory 21-8.
The second set was a men's singles match, which was also the "short board" of the Korean team. In the previous two rounds of elimination, South Korea advanced 3-1, and it was the men's singles that lost points. In the final, the South Korean team broke the cauldron and sent Li Youkui, the "three singles" ranked only 213th in the world, to attack the Chinese players. The player has only played two international challenge tournaments this year, both of which stopped in the first two rounds, and lost both times in this Su Cup.
Shi Yuqi, ranked 10th in the world, was able to call the "needle of the sea god" in the knockout round, and the second ranked world Jin Ting and the third ranked Naraoka Kōdai. In this battle, facing Li Youkui, who met for the first time, Shi Yuqi quickly gained the advantage after a short adaptation in the opening game, winning the first set 21-13. In the second game, Li Youkui played a 7-1 advantage. But Shi Yuqi patiently caught up, overtook in the middle of the game, and eventually went 21-17 to help China extend their lead 2-0.
The South Korean team, which lost two points in a row, ushered in the dominant singles in the third set - women's singles, with An Zhiying against Chen Yufei. World No. 2 Ahn has been unstoppable this season, reaching the final in all six races and winning three titles. In this year's Su Cup, An Zhiying won consecutive battles, facing the world's No. 1 Akane Yamaguchi and Dai Ziying, who ranked third, both won 2-0, which can be called the most stable trump card.
In past meetings, although Chen Yufei has an 8-4 advantage, he has won only one of his last five meetings, and all three meetings this year have reached a tiebreaker. This time again, Chen Yufei was chased with the opening lead, but she fought steadily and won 21-16. In the second game, the two sides fought fiercely, and the score alternately rose. Chen Yufei missed three match points to go 22-20. The Chinese team defeated their opponents 3-0 and left the Su Cup in China.
Source: Beijing Daily B51