China secures quarterfinal berth by defeating Thailand 3-2 in Sudirman Cup

HELSINKI - China's badminton team outplayed Thailand 3-2 on Wednesday in the third round of Group A matches to head into the quarterfinals of the 2021 Sudirman Cup.

For the starting match in the men's doubles, the world No. 20 pair of He Jiting and Tan Qiang fell to a 21-11, 8-21, 11-21 defeat against the new pair Supak Jomkoh and Kittinupong Kedren.

"We could not find good solutions when facing difficulties in the second set. We tried to make a new start in the third, but couldn't turn the tide," said Tan. "As the starting players of the team event, we felt more pressure than before. Too many mistakes and misjudgments happened today."

He added that they had struggled with the psychological aspects of the defeat. "I wanted to give more precise shots but there might be some mentality problem when falling behind."

In the men's singles match, Shi Yuqi lost to Kunlavut Vitidsarn 17-21, 17-21 in the two players' first encounter on the international stage.

"I played well today but Vitidsarn did a better job. I did not know too much about him," said Shi. "We're at the same level, anything could happen. He showed good quality in defense, flying to save many shots. However, I did not finish strong in attacking when the chances are on my side."

Despite these two defeats, China edged Thailand overall by winning the women's singles, women's singles and mixed doubles matches, with Tokyo Olympic champion Chen Yufei outplaying Busanan Ongbamrungphan to win her tie 21-12, 21-10.

The world No. 2 women's duo of Chen Qingchen and Jia Yifan took an easy win over Jongkolphan Kititharakul and Rawinda Prajongjai, prevailing 21-4, 21-12.

Tokyo Olympic mixed doubles champions Wang Yilyu and Huang Dongping secured China's 3-2 victory by smashing the world No. 3 mixed pair Dechapol Puavaranukroh and Sapsiree Taerattanachal 21-8, 21-15.