China digs deep for 12th Sudirman crown

HELSINKI－China defeated Japan 3-1 to claim its 12th Sudirman Cup title on Sunday in Vantaa, Finland.

In the opening match of the final at the mixed-team event, He Jiting and Zhou Haodong outplayed 16th-ranked men's doubles duo Takuro Hoki and Yugo Kobayashi 21-17, 14-21, 21-16.

"I didn't really mind when we lost the second game, because we could start from scratch in the third. We learned from the experience of our battle against Denmark and have become more patient. We've got that winning momentum," said Zhou.

The Chinese team was delighted with the vocal support from a strong Chinese presence among the spectators.

"There were so many Chinese fans in the arena cheering for us. The coach and teammates trust us and we tried our best to secure the first win," said He.

Olympic champion Chen Yufei lost her women's singles rubber to world No 5 Akane Yamaguchi 21-19, 21-16 as Japan tied the score at 1-1.

"I had beaten her in the past when she had some injury troubles, but now she is becoming more powerful. I made too many mistakes today," said Chen.

Chen said she was braced for long rallies against Yamaguchi, but was ultimately disappointed not to be able to execute her game plan.

"I did not start well in the opening set. I was feeling a bit tired and did not stay focused enough," she said.

In the men's singles, Shi Yuqi beat world No 1 Kento Momota 21-13, 8-21, 21-12－a repeat of his result in the 2019 Sudirman final－to put China 2-1 up.

"I didn't feel right in the second game so I just gave it up and then went full throttle in the third," Shi said.

"It means so much for me and my team. I won against him in the 2019 Sudirman Cup final and I needed to do it again. My target has been not only recovering 100 percent from injuries but also coming back much stronger than before."

Tokyo Olympic silver medalists Chen Qingchen and Jia Yifan wrapped up China's triumph by beating Mayu Matsumoto and Misaki Matsutomo 21-17, 21-16 in the women's doubles.

"I told myself before the match to take every possible chance to win the game. When the team led 2-1, we had to seal the victory and not leave it to a fifth match," said Jia.

Chen Qingchen hailed China's strong team spirit, saying: "When we played our first Sudirman Cup, we led 2-1 but failed to take the win. Today, we did not let that happen. It feels so good."

Xinhua