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Suzhou, 21 May (Xinhua) -- The Su Cup reaching the top is the end and the beginning -- a summary of the 18th Sudirman Cup badminton tournament
Xinhua News Agency reporters Ding Wenxian, Ji Ye, Wang Hengzhi, and Xu Shihao
The Chinese team reached the top as it wished, bringing the 2023 Sudirman Cup World Badminton Mixed Team Championships to a successful end in Suzhou. It also means that the first points competition of the Paris Olympics has come to an end, and the road to Paris for top badminton players has just begun.
On May 21, members of the Chinese team took a group photo after the award ceremony. Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Hou Zhaokang
The strong are always strong, and the Su cup is difficult to break cold
The Sudirman Cup examines the five individual events of men's singles, women's singles, men's doubles, women's doubles and mixed doubles, which is a review of the comprehensive strength of a country (region) badminton, and it is difficult to appear a blockbuster "dark horse". Only three teams from China, South Korea and Indonesia have won the championship before.
On the whole, this competition did not break out of the big upset, and the strength and weakness are clear. When two rounds of the group stage of the total three rounds are played, all the places in the quarter-finals have been decided. In the end, the Chinese team, the South Korean team, the Japanese team and the Malaysian team entered the final four, which is also in line with the strength.
On May 21, members of the Chinese team celebrated winning the championship. Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Li Bo
There is no doubt that Asia remains at the heart of badminton. The only non-Asian team in the quarterfinals is Denmark, and if it weren't for the Axelon injury, they would have been able to go further. France was a standout, with South Korea and Japan each scoring one point in the group stage. If you count the number of wins in each match, France is the third best in the four groups. This is largely due to the driving effect of the Paris Olympics.
BWF President Larson acknowledged: "There is still a gap between Europe and Asia. To be honest, I think Asian countries and regions have proven themselves stronger in different individual categories. ”
The veteran of the national ba is stable, and the new star is bright
Asian teams dominate badminton, and the Chinese team is the well-deserved hegemon of the Sudirman Cup. In the previous 17 competitions, Guoya reached the top 12 times. But the 13th title didn't come easily. In addition to competing in hard strength, the team competition is also a great test of psychological quality.
Looking back at the championship history, the Chinese team won 5:0 in all three group games; Defeating Indonesia 3-0 in the first round of the knockout round, the score looked easy but the process was not easy; In the semifinals, there was a comeback of the Jedi counterattack, 3:2 to Nick Japan; Won the final 3:0 against South Korea. In a total of six games, the main players Chen Yufei, Shi Yuqi, Zheng Siwei/Huang Yaqiong, Chen Qingchen/Jia Yifan, etc. played a stable role in fixing the sea god needle; "Post-00s" Li Shifeng, Liang Weihang, Wang Chang, etc. also performed brilliantly and successfully completed the debut of the Su Cup.
On May 21, China's Shi Yuqi celebrates his victory after the men's singles match. Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Du Yu
Specific to each item, in the men's singles, Shi Yuqi handed over the report card of all five victories, defeated strong opponents in the knockout round, and withstood the pressure when the score was behind, and his performance was remarkable. 23-year-old Li Shifeng played a battle, and after winning, he excitedly did a side flip, and the significance of the competition to the newcomer's exercise is self-evident.
In the women's singles, Tokyo Olympic champion Chen Yufei had a slightly up-and-down performance, and the defeat in the semifinals almost left the Chinese team in a desperate situation, but she regained her form in the final and sealed the victory for the Chinese team.
The men's doubles were the heroes of the victory, with Liu Yuchen/Ou Weiyi saving four consecutive match points in the semifinals to pull the Chinese team back from the brink of elimination. The young Leung Wai Hang and Wang Chang also worked out in the top team competition.
Chinese team pair Liu Yuchen (right) / Ou Weiyi celebrate after the men's doubles match on May 20, when they defeated the Japanese team Hoki Takuro / Kobayashi Yugo 2-1. Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Li Bo
Women's doubles Chen Qingchen/Jia Yifan and Zheng Yu/Zhang Shuxian all performed steadily. With teammates ending games early on several occasions, they had relatively few opportunities to play.
In mixed doubles, Zheng Siwei/Huang Yaqiong won four battles and four victories, and achieved many thrilling reversals in the knockout rounds, winning the first point for the team and playing a role in stabilizing the army's heart. Huang Dongping/Feng Yanzhe admitted after accidentally losing points in the semifinals that they still did not calm down and were too anxious. The old and new pair still need to hone their mentality in the following matches.
Looking forward to Paris, the national feathers are surrounded by strong enemies
After all, there are many differences between the team competition and the individual competition, and winning the Su Cup does not mean that the Chinese team will win the Olympic Games. To prepare for Paris, Guoyu still needs to continue to accumulate.
Counting the five individual events, mixed doubles was the most stable one for the Chinese team in the last Olympic cycle. After a brief split in the new Olympic cycle, the repaired Zheng Siwei/Huang Yaqiong have a proud record and are currently ranked No. 1 in the world, and they and Feng Yanzhe/Huang Dongping are expected to become the new "double insurance" of Guoyu. Worldwide, the strength of the Japanese group Yuda Watanabe/Arisa Higashino, the Thai pair Dechabo/Sasiri, and the Korean combination Seungjae/Choi Yoo-hyun cannot be underestimated.
Chinese team pair Zheng Siwei (right) and Huang Yaqiong celebrate their victory after the mixed doubles match on May 21. Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Hou Zhaokang
Women's doubles is also a more advantageous event for national feathers, with Tokyo Olympic runner-ups Chen Qingchen/Jia Yifan ranking first in the world and Zheng Yu/Zhang Shuxian ranking third in the world. But the Japanese and South Korean women's doubles are equally strong, and there are many pairs ranked among the top in the world; Tokyo Olympic champion Rahayu has changed partners in the new Olympic cycle, and his record is not bad.
Chinese team pair Chen Qingchen (right) / Jia Yifan celebrate after the women's doubles match on May 20, when they defeated the Japanese pair Yuki Fukushima/Saika Hirota 2-0. Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Li Bo
In the women's singles, Guoyu Chen Yufei, He Bingjiao, Wang Zhiyi and Han Yue are among the top ten in the world, forming a certain group advantage. However, Japan's famous Akane Yamaguchi, South Korean An Zhiying, and Chinese Taipei's Dai Ziying are all difficult opponents, and the "female single sister" Chen Yufei has a victory or defeat against them, and there is no complete chance of victory.
On May 21, China's Chen Yufei celebrates her victory after the women's singles match. Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Li Bo
The national men's singles Su Cup withstood the pressure this time, but it is still a weaker link of the Chinese team. World badminton is surrounded by strong opponents, world number one Dane Anselon needless to say, Indonesia's Ginting and Jonathan, Malaysia's Li Zijia, Singapore's Luo Jianyou and others are all strong players. It is expected that Shi Yuqi's condition will continue to recover, and Xinke All England Open champion Li Shifeng will continue to make more breakthroughs.
Men's doubles is also not a strong point for the Chinese team in recent years. Liu Yuchen/Ou Weiyi, Leung Weihang/Wang Chang are the new combinations in the Paris Olympic cycle, and although they are currently ranked in the top 10 in the world, they still need more competition to compete with Indonesia's Alfian/Adianto, Malaysia's Xie Dingfeng/So Weiyi, and Japan's Hoki Zhuolang/Kobayashi Yugo.
The Paris Olympic points competition runs from May 1 this year to April 28 next year. I hope that this Sudirman Cup victory will be a good start to the road to Paris, and a year later on the banks of the Seine, let us look forward to more surprises.