China Sports Weekly (5.25-5.31)
BEIJING, May 31 (Xinhua) -- Here are the latest Chinese sports headlines from the past week:
1. Sun defends singles crown at table tennis worlds
World No. 1 Sun Yingsha defeated second-ranked Wang Manyu 4-3 to retain her women's singles title at the World Table Tennis Championships on May 25, adding to the mixed doubles crown she had claimed earlier in the tournament.
Roared on by a lively crowd, Sun prevailed over the 2021 world champion in a thrilling final, winning 11-6, 12-10, 8-11, 5-11, 12-10, 11-13, 11-7 in 88 minutes.
Sun and her mixed doubles partner Wang Chuqin combined for three gold medals to help China sweep four out of five at the event.
Wang won his first world championships singles title after defeating World Cup champion Hugo Calderano of Brazil 12-10, 11-3, 4-11, 11-2, 11-7, while Wang Manyu and Kuai Man were crowned in the women's doubles.
2. Wuhan claims historic AFC Women's Champions League title
Wuhan Jiangda made history in China and Asia by defeating Melbourne City to win the first ever AFC Women's Champions League title.
Wuhan's path to glory was anything but smooth. Just five days after winning their fifth consecutive Chinese Super League title, they began their AFC campaign. Their group-stage performance was shaky, and they just scraped through into the knockout stages after two defeats and just one win.
But in the knockout rounds, the team was transformed. They edged past Japanese powerhouse Urawa Red Diamonds in a dramatic penalty shootout, then dispatched Ho Chi Minh City in the semis. Facing top-tier opponents from Japan, Vietnam and Australia, Wuhan's squad played 330 minutes across three matches, with two of them ending with penalties.
3. China caps off Malaysia Masters with titles in four categories
Chinese shuttlers dominated the finals of the 2025 Malaysia Masters, taking titles in four categories on May 25.
Men's singles shuttler Li Shifeng overpowered Srikanth Kidambi of India 21-11, 21-9 at the Axiata Arena.
In the women's singles, Wang Zhiyi bested compatriot Han Yue 13-21, 21-13, 21-18 in a hard-fought battle lasting over an hour.
The women's doubles final was an all-Chinese affair, with Liu Shengshu and Tan Ning outplaying Jia Yifan and Zhang Shuxian 21-17, 21-18.
In another battle between compatriots, Feng Yanzhe and Huang Dongping overcame Jiang Zhenbang and Wei Yaxin 21-17, 14-21, 21-16 in the mixed doubles final.
4. China's Zheng advances to last 16 at French Open
Paris Olympic champion Zheng Qinwen of China continued her strong run at the French Open on May 30, advancing to the women's singles round of 16 with a straight-sets win over 18-year-old Canadian qualifier Victoria Mboko.
The eighth seed needed just under 90 minutes to beat Mboko 6-3, 6-4 in their first career meeting, marking her second appearance in the last 16 at Roland Garros after her breakthrough run in 2022.
Zheng will next face Liudmila Samsonova of Russia as she looks to reach her first French Open quarterfinal.
5. Yang Yang re-elected WADA vice president
China's former Winter Olympic champion Yang Yang has been re-elected World Anti-Doping Agency vice president, together with president Witold Banka, for a third and final term at a virtual Foundation Board meeting on May 29.
Yang and Banka were first elected at the 2019 World Conference on Doping in Sport. Their new three-year term will run from January 1, 2026 until December 31, 2028.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Hans India
13 minutes ago
- Hans India
French Open: Bopanna-Pavlasek bow out after pre-quarterfinal loss
India's Rohan Bopanna and his Czech partner Adam Pavlasek put up a spirited fight but were knocked out of the French Open on Sunday by second seeds Harri Heliovaara and Henry Patten. The unseeded Indo-Czech duo fell 2-6, 6-7(5) in the pre-quarterfinals to Finland's Heliovaara and Britain's Patten, who are ranked third and fourth in the world, respectively. The second seeds raced to a 5-1 lead in the first set with two breaks of serve. Heliovaara then closed out the set with a dominant service game, finishing with a powerful overhead smash. Bopanna started strong in the second set, holding serve to love. Patten responded equally well, firing in a series of sharp, angled serves. Bopanna and Pavlasek had a chance to break at 2-3 when Patten opened game six with a double fault and quickly went down 0-30. However, the Briton responded under pressure, winning four consecutive points to escape unscathed. With no breaks of serve in the second set, it went to a tiebreak, where Heliovaara sealed the match with a stunning return winner on the first match point. Meanwhile, Yuki Bhambri is set to play his third-round match alongside American partner Robert Galloway. They face the ninth-seeded American pair Christian Harrison and Evan King. In the Junior Championship, India's promising young player Manas Dhamne exited the tournament after a 5-7, 3-6 defeat to fellow qualifier Ronit Karki of the United States. The 17-year-old Dhamne, who had made it into the main draw through qualifying, struggled to find his rhythm on Sunday. Earlier in the day, the three-time Roland-Garros champion Novak Djokovic scored the 99th win of his career on the Paris clay after beating Austrian qualifier Filip Misolic 6-3, 6-4, 6-2 to enter the fourth round of the tournament.
Hindustan Times
an hour ago
- Hindustan Times
Rohan Bopanna-Adam Pavlasek pair knocked out of French Open 2025
India's Rohan Bopanna and his partner Adam Pavlasek fought tooth and nail before being knocked out from the French Open by second seeds Harri Heliovaara and Henry Patten, in Paris on Sunday. The unseeded Indo-Czech pair lost 2-6 6-7(5) to Heliovaara from Finland and British player Patten, ranked three and four in the world respectively, in the pre-quarterfinals. The second seeds zoomed to a 5-1 lead in the opening set with a double break. The Finn served out the set at love, finishing the game with an overhead smash on a return. Bopanna made a solid start to the second set, holding without losing a point on his serve. Left-handed Patten too came out all guns blazing, sending down some measured and powerful angled serves. Bopanna and Pavlasek got an opening when at 2-3, Patten began game six with a double fault and lost another point to be down 0-30 but the Briton reeled off four straight points to avert the danger. There was no break of serve and eventually the second set was stretched to a tie-breaker in which the second seeds prevailed when Heliovaara found a stunning service return winner on first match point. Yuki Bhambri is also slated to play his third round with American partner Robert Galloway. They take on ninth seeds Christian Harrison and Evan King from the United States. In the Junior Championship, India's exciting prospect for future Manas Dhamne bowed out after losing 5-7 3-6 to fellow American qualifier Ronit Karki. The 17-year-old Dhamne had entered the main draw as a qualifier. He could not play to his potential on Sunday.
India Today
2 hours ago
- India Today
French Open Day 8 Live Updates: Tommy into quarters, Paolini, Bopanna in trouble
India's Rohan Bopanna has lost in the third round of the men's doubles at the Roland Garros alongside Adam Pavlásek. The Indo-Czech pair was beaten by Henry Patten and Harri Heliövaara 2-6, 7-6 (7-5). Jasmine Paolini has been knocked out of the French Open 2025 after losing to Elina Svitolina 6-4, 6-7 (6-8), 1-6 at court Philippe-Chatrier. The last year's finalist was on the brink of sealing the match in the second set. However, Svitolina saved three match points to script a remarkable comeback and stunned the Italian in the fourth round fixture. A solid win for 12th seed Tommy Paul. He beats Alexei Popyrin in straight sets - 6-3, 6-3, 6-3 in an hour and 48 minutes. The American did not put a foot wrong in the fourth-round match at the Lenglen. It's a major landmark for American tennis. With victory over Alexei Popyrin, Tommy Paul has become the first American to reach the Men's Singles quarter-final at Roland Garros since Andre Agassi in 2003. 2003 - With victory over Alexei Popyrin, Tommy Paul has become the first American to reach the Men's Singles quarter-final at Roland Garros since Andre Agassi in 2003. Big.#RolandGarros | @rolandgarros @atptour @ATPMediaInfo — OptaAce (@OptaAce) June 1, 2025 Elina Svitolina has made a roaring comeback in her fourth-round fixture against Jasmine Paolini as she won the second set through a tiebreaker. The Ukrainian is not willing to back down despite being dominated in the first set and is eyeing to cause an upset. Rohan Bopanna and Adam Pavlásek have lost their first set against Henry Patten and Harri Heliövaara 6-2. The Indian Czech pair is being completely dominated and will need to play out of their skins to make a comeback in the second set. Rohan Bopanna and Adam Pavlasek are already a double break down, trailing 1-3 in their opening set against Henry Patten and Harri Heliovaara. Bopanna and Pavlasek, on the other hand, are yet to get even a single chance of earning a break. After earning the initial break in the second set, Elina Svitolina dropped her serve to again go a break down. Trailing 4-5, Svitolina needed a break point to save the set and the match. And she did it. Plenty of ebbs and flows in the fourth round match on Sunday. After losing the first set, Elina Svitolina was under immense pressure against Jasmine Paolini. After dropping her serve early in the second set, the Ukrainian looked all over the place. But she has managed to earn the break back, although she trails 3-4 Is there enough fight left in Svitolina to force a deciding set? Rohan Bopanna and Adam Pavlasek will be up against Henry Patten and Harri Heliovaara in the third round of the men's doubles on Court 14. Bopanna and Pavlasek have their task cut out as Patten and Heliovaara are the second-seeded team in the competition. Jasmine Paolini has won the opening set 6-4 against Elina Svitolina at Philippe-Chatrier. Leading 5-4 with Svitolina serving, Paolini failed to convert the first two set points before converting the third. Svitolina had Paolini on the mat with a double break, but the latter kept her nerves and earned three breaks of serve. Can Svitolina make a comeback or is it a straight set win for Paolini? Tommy Paul has won the opening set against Alexei Popyrin at Court Simonne Mathieu. At 3-3, it seemed that the set would go into a tie-break, but then Paul mounted a strong comeback. Paul won three games in a row along with a break of serve. 14 unforced errors led to Popyrin's downfall in the set. Can Popyrin hit back in the second set? Tommy Paul and Alexei Popyrin are fighting it out in the fourth round at Suzanne Lenglen. Both players have earned a break each as the scoreline reads 3-3. Tie-breaker on the cards? Elina Svitolina was never going to be an easy opponent for Jasmine Paolini at Court Philippe-Chatrier, and here's why After the early break and a 3-0 lead, Paolini looked in cruise control. But Svitolina has earned the break back and is 2-3 down in the opening set. Jasmine Paolini is already a break up in the opening set with a 2-0 lead over Elina Svitolina. Paolini is on the charge and the pressure is on her Ukrainian opponent to bounce back. 12th seed Tommy Paul is currently up against Alexei Popyrin in the fourth round of the men's singles at Court Suzanne Lenglen. Paul has never been to the prequarters at Roland Garros, but here lies the chance for him. Jasmine Paolini, last year's runner-up, is currently up against the feisty Elina Svitolina at Court Philippe-Chatrier in the fourth round. Paolini is arguably the favourite, but Svitolina, with all her experience, shouldn't be undermined by any means. Court Philippe-Chatrier (play starts at 2:30 PM IST, 11 AM local time) Jasmine Paolini vs Elina Svitolina Elena Rybakina vs Iga Swiatek Ben Shelton vs Carlos Alcaraz Lorenzo Musetti vs Holger Rune Court Suzanne-Lenglen (play starts at 2:30 PM IST, 11 AM local time) Alexei Popyrin vs Tommy Paul Liudmila Samsonova vs Qinwen Zheng Aryna Sabalenka vs Amanda Anisimova Frances Tiafoe vs Daniel Altmaier Indians on Day 8 of French Open 2025 Rohan Bopanna/Adam Pavlasek vs Henry Patten/Harri Heliovaara (2nd match on Court 14) Yuki Bhambri/Robert Galloway vs Christian Harrison/Evan King (2nd match on Court 7)
