The Chinese women's badminton team cruised into the semifinals of the prestigious Uber Cup this week, living up to their defending champion status with a commanding 3-0 sweep against Malaysia.
The action went down in Horsens, Denmark, where China showed no signs of slowing down. Stepping onto the court first was World No. 2 Wang Zhiyi, who brought some extra birthday energy to her match. Celebrating her 26th just a day before, Wang defeated Karupathevan Letshanaa 21-17, 21-18 in a strong opening performance.
After the match, Wang shared her winning mindset: "I guess everybody knows my birthday wish. What I can do is focus on managing myself on the court, rather than trying to control my opponents." She also highlighted the importance of this stage, adding, "It was also a new test for me personally. As the knockout phase begins, I hope to take lessons from this match, keep improving and get better with each competition."
The doubles team of Liu Shengshu and Tan Ning, currently ranked No. 1 globally, had to dig deep against Malaysia's Ong Xin Yee and Carmen Ting. After dropping the second set, they rallied to seal a hard-fought 21-14, 16-21, 21-13 victory.
Closing out the show in style was former Olympic gold medalist Chen Yufei. She put on a clinic against Wong Ling Ching, delivering a masterclass to win 21-10, 21-10 and clinch the overall victory for her team.
With this win, China has booked its spot in the semifinals, where they will face Japan on Saturday. The quest for another Uber Cup title continues! 🏆
Reference(s):
Defending champion China defeats Malaysia to reach Uber Cup semifinals
cgtn.com
