Fans in Chengdu, China, witnessed the return of Chinese dominance in both the Thomas and Uber Cup finals. Remarkably, not seen since 2012. After today, they now have a record-breaking 30 Thomas and Uber Cup titles!
China have been the dominant force in men’s and women’s team events in this era, however, it was 12 years ago the last time we saw China win both the Thomas and Uber Cup, also on home soil in Wuhan.
Today, saw a clinical performance in the Uber Cup final with China defeating Indonesia 3-0.
Olympic champion, Chen Yu Fei, led the way against Gregoria Mariska Tunjung who’s had a strong week. Chen looked in the zone when winning the opening game 21-7, before holding off an admirable challenge from Tunjung, 21-16.
In the women’s doubles, the ever-reliable Chen Qing Chen/ Jia Yi Fan took down the scratch pairing of Siti Fadia Silva Ramadhanti/ Ribka Sugiarto, 21-11, 21-8.
This set up the opportunity for He Bing Jiao to win it for China. He has suffered from nerves before when under significant pressure. Ester Nurumi Tri Wardoyo on the other hand, who was a big part of their semifinal win, could play with freedom.
It was an incredible battle, He Bing Jiao coming from behind to grind out a win for her country, 10-21, 21-15, 21-17. The whole China team rushing the court to celebrate the victory.
Two powerhouses
In the Thomas Cup, it was another clash of two giants for the trophy, as it was in 2020 in Aarhus, Denmark. That time Indonesia smashed their way to a historic win.
This time, Shi Yu Qi, who has been nothing short of China’s most valuable player this week, dispatched Anthony Sinisuka Ginting, 21-17, 21-6, laying down a marker for his team.
Men’s doubles was where this final could be won or lost. It was Liang Wei Keng/ Wang Chang stepped up to the challenge, defeating Fajar Alfian/ Muhammad Rian Ardianto in three close games, 21-18, 17-21, 21-17.
Li Shi Feng now had that chance to secure glory for his team. He left everything out on the court against Jonatan Christie, however, after 77 minutes of battle it was Christie left standing pointing to his temple, indicating the need to focus to his cheering teammates. Christie won 21-16, 15-21, 21-17.
Returning to the men’s doubles, He Ji Ting/ Ren Xiang Yu took on Muhammad Shohibul Fikri/ Bagas Maulana, who defeated them in the Asia Team Championships earlier this year. But the Chinese duo came out like a totally different pair and blitzed their opponents, 21-11, 21-15.
The celebrations began immediately after the final point. It has been a terrific day for Chinese badminton. The ladies team winning sixteenth (16) Uber Cup, while the men’s team lifted the Thomas Cup for the fourteenth (14) time, 30 in total!