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On May 4, Beijing time, the 2023 Uber Cup Badminton Championship entered a white-hot stage in Bangkok, Thailand. In the first semi-final, the Chinese women's team defeated the Japanese team with a score of 3-0 and reached the final with a hearty victory! This is the 12th time since 2012 that the Chinese women's team has entered the Uber Cup final, and they will launch the final attack on the 16th time to win this crown.
In the other semi-final that followed, South Korea played a hard-fought battle with Indonesia. Although South Korea's number one main player and world No. 1 Ahn Se-young was absent due to illness, she still sat on the sidelines cheering on her teammates, and her mental outlook did not show anything unusual. At the beginning of the game, Indonesia's Mariska won two consecutive games to defeat South Korea's Shen Youzhen 21-15 and 21-13 to take the lead in scoring a point for the Indonesian team.
However, South Korea were not discouraged and in the following doubles match, Korea's Baek Ha Na/Lee So-hee played at a very high level, beating Indonesia's Rahayu/Ramadanti 21-6, 21-18 to pull back a point for Korea. The big score became 1-1, and the suspense reappeared.
The two sides go back and forth, and the score rises alternately. Indonesia's second singles Etters defeated Kim Jia Lan 20-22, 21-16, 21-12 after losing the first game to help Indonesia take the lead again. Then South Korea's double-doubles Kim So-young/Jung Na-eun stepped up again, beating Indonesia's Lenny/Rebecca in straight games 21-15 and 21-14 to tie the overall score at 2-2.
In the contest between warriors, the victory or defeat is often only in a split second. The duel of the three singles in the deciding game became the key to the whole game. Indonesia's Koman Ayu and South Korea's Kim Min-hyun went head-to-head, and Koman Ayu calmly responded to the battle after losing one game first, winning two games in a row with a score of 21-16 and 21-19, and finally won 2-1! The Indonesian women's team narrowly defeated South Korea with a total score of 3-2 and met the Chinese team in the final!
It is not difficult to see from the process of the game that the strength of the South Korean team has been greatly reduced after the absence of the number one main player An Seying, and the singles line is obviously inferior. Indonesia, on the other hand, had the last laugh with their singles advantage, and although they were slightly lacking in doubles, their overall performance was more balanced, which was the key to their ability to beat South Korea.
For the Chinese women's team, the Indonesian team is undoubtedly an ideal opponent in the final. The Chinese team not only has the world's top players such as Chen Yufei and He Bingjiao in singles, but also has strong combinations such as Chen Qingchen/Jia Yifan and Li Wenmei/Liu Xuanxuan in doubles. Although the Indonesian team has the strength of Koman Ayew, the Chinese team is better from top to bottom. In contrast, if the opponent is South Korea, if Ahn Se-ying returns from illness, her ferocious attacking style may cause a lot of trouble for the Chinese team.
The fact that the Chinese women's team was able to advance to the Uber Cup final so easily shows the strong strength of Chinese badminton at present. In recent years, after the retirement of many veterans, Chinese badminton once faced the dilemma of lack of success. But now, a new generation of national badminton women is growing rapidly, and they are reviving the glory of Chinese badminton with their high morale and fearless fighting spirit.
The leading figure is Olympic champion Chen Yufei. Since winning the World Championships in 2019, this post-90s girl has become the absolute core of the Chinese team. She has a well-rounded style of play, not only good at attacking, but also good at defense. In this year's You Cup, Chen Yufei stepped forward again and again at critical moments and led the Chinese team through difficulties. Keeping pace with her, there are also new generation forces such as He Bingjiao and Han Yue. They are imprinted with the traditional heritage of Chinese badminton, and they are also infiltrated with the vigor of the times.
Of course, the doubles lineup of the Chinese team should not be overlooked. Chen Qingchen/Jia Yifan, who has occupied the world's No. 1 for a long time, is simply breathtaking in their tacit cooperation and stable performance. Although the young Li Wenmei/Liu Xuanxuan are slightly inferior, they are also a pair of rookies with great potential, and the future is promising. The two pairs of doubles pairs, each with their own strengths, blossomed together in the You Cup, earning valuable points for the Chinese team.
Throughout this year's Uber Cup, the 32 participating teams have shown their talents, and the masters are like clouds. Among them are former world champions and Olympic champions, such as Spain's Marlene, India's rising star Sindhu, and South Korea's Ahn Se Ying, which is the highlight of this article. It is not easy for the Chinese women's team to stand out in such a fierce competition and reach the finals. With their strength and achievements, they have proved to the world that the status of Chinese badminton is still there, and the future of Chinese badminton is promising.
Of course, the final is the final, and the winner still needs to fight. But judging from the current situation, the Chinese women's team's dream of winning the Uber Cup championship is one step closer to being realized. Under the leadership of head coach Chen Qixuan, they will meet the final challenge in the best competitive condition. After a long time, he came out, still holding the pipa and half covering his face. Let's wait and see, wait for the good news! Chinese women's team, come on!
There is a long road ahead, but there is only struggle. In the face of the upcoming finals, the Chinese women's team did not relax at all and made final preparations for the upcoming peak showdown. Whether they are against Indonesia or South Korea, they will go all out to defend the glory of their national feathers.
The Uber Cup is the holy grail of badminton and the championship trophy is the dream of every badminton player. For the Chinese women's team, this is not only an opportunity, but also a responsibility. Countless pairs of eyes are watching, and countless hearts are praying: on the road of sports to win glory for the country, in the journey of unremitting struggle for dreams, create new achievements, and create brilliance!