Sudirman Cup final: Can An Seyoung lead Korea to a win against 13-time champions China?
China's dominance of the Sudirman Cup — badminton's World Mixed Team Championships — is unparalleled. It is little surprise that the badminton powerhouses have made it to yet another final of the tournament that truly measures a country's depth across the five disciplines. They are now in their 16th straight final.
On Saturday, they made short work of Japan in the semifinal, cantering through 3-0, just as they did in the quarterfinals against Malaysia, and on both occasions not even requiring the services of their men's and women's doubles, such is their strength. They have won 13 Sudirman Cup gold medals out of the last 15 available, and on the two occasions they didn't triumph (2003 and 2017). it was Korea who topped the podium. On Sunday, it will be China vs Korea once more… and if anyone has the chance to upset the Chinese juggernaut, it will be Korea, led by the insatiable drive of An Seyoung and the dynamic leftie doubles superstar Seo Seungjae, who will once again likely play both mixed and men's doubles.
In the second semifinals on Saturday in Xiamen, Korea were pushed to their limits by Indonesia, the second seeds. And eventually, it was An's brilliance and the depth in doubles that came through. Korea could have sealed the tie in the fourth match, when Seo and Kim Won Ho had a match point against Bagas Maulana and Muhammad Shohibul Fikri, but the Indonesians won a thriller 26-24 in the third game. It gave Indonesia a flicker of hope, but after a brief wobble, world No. 3 Baek Ha Na and Lee So Hee's quality came through.
China's advantage lies in their enviable elite talent. The lineup they fielded in the semifinals read like this: world No. 2 in mixed doubles, world No. 1 in men's singles, world No. 7 (but Tokyo Olympic champion) in women's singles, world No. 3 in men's doubles and world No. 1 in women's doubles.
But Korea can counter that. The men's singles match is likely to be the most lopsided contest between Shi Yu Qi and whoever Korea field. In women's singles, An Seyoung could be facing Chen Yufei (even though the latter played coy about getting selected), and the recent head-to-head favours the Korean Olympic champion there heavily. 'I'm very glad about the result but the tournament hasn't finished. The most important thing for me – although I don't know if I'll play the next match – is that I have to ensure my best condition and have the best mental state to prepare for the final,' Chen told BWF on Saturday.
And don't let the rankings fool you when it comes to the three doubles disciplines. Seo and Chae Yu Jung are the reigning world champions; they just haven't played together before the Sudirman Cup this year, with Seo focusing solely on men's doubles. And in that discipline, his new pairing with Kim has been red-hot in 2025, having won the All England Open recently. In women's doubles, should it be required, Liu Sheng Shu and Tan Ning are undoubtedly the best in the world, but Baek and Lee have a favourable 5-3 head-to-head. China are favourites once more, but Korea have what it takes to deny them a widely predicted gold.
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