PETALING JAYA: Men’s singles star Shi Yuqi led badminton powerhouse China to a 14th Sudirman Cup crown – proving they are invincible in the mixed team event.
World No. 1 Yuqi was in imperious form as he claimed a commanding 21-5, 21-5 win over world No. 42 Jeon Hyeok-jin to help his country to a 3-1 win over South Korea much to the delight of the passionate home fans at the Xiamen Fenghuang Gymnasium yesterday.
The 29-year-old’s win was crucial in the tie after world No. 1 An Se-young defeated world No. 2 Wang Zhiyi 21-17, 21-16 in the women’s singles.
Earlier, world No. 2 Feng Yanzhe-Huang Dongping had given China the lead after a hard fought 21-16, 17-21, 21-15 victory over world champions Seo Seung-jae-Chae Yu-jung in 84 minutes in the mixed doubles.
World No. 1 and Paris Olympics silver medallists Liu Shengshu-Tan Ning then sealed the deal for the home favourites by overcoming world No. 3 Baek Ha-na-Lee So-hee 21-14, 21-17.
It was China’s fourth consecutive title after also triumphing in 2019 (Nanning), 2021 (Vantaa) and 2023 (Suzhou).
Personally, it was also a perfect outing for Yuqi, who won all his matches including against Japan’s world No. 8 Kodai Naraoka in the last four and Hong Kong’s world No. 21 Lee Cheuk Yiu in the group stage.
Yuqi was happy to help his team to the title again after also starring in the previous three victories.
“Honestly, every opponent presents a challenge for me and I need to treat everyone very seriously especially in a final where anything can happen,” said Yuqi in a post match interview with the Badminton World Federation (BWF).
“I could not afford to be nervous and I’m happy I managed to play well and help my team win.”
Meanwhile, South Korea had to be satisfied with the runners-up finish again after coming up second best to China in 2023. The Koreans last won the crown in 2017 in Gold Coast, Australia, after stunning China 3-2 in the final.
