China Sports Weekly (5.18-5.24)
BEIJING, May 23 (Xinhua) -- Here are the latest Chinese sports headlines from the past week:
1. Zhejiang Lions beat Beijing Ducks to win club's first-ever CBA title
After defeating the Beijing Ducks 125-118 in Game 6 to win the best-of-seven finals 4-2 on May 20, the Zhejiang Lions claimed their first-ever Chinese Basketball Association (CBA) title in the club's 20-year history.
"The journey towards the champion is always not easy. We know our fans have high expectation on us. We handled the pressure and finally made the history," Zhejiang forward Zhu Junlong said.
Zhejiang surged to the top of the standings early in the campaign and secured the regular-season title with three games to spare. The team recovered from 2-1 down to eliminate the Qingdao Eagles 3-2 in the quarterfinals and broke their jinx against four-time champion the Liaoning Leopards with a 3-0 sweep in the semis.
After defeating Beijing in the Finals, Zhejiang became the eighth team to win a CBA championship as the league celebrated its 30th anniversary with fresh momentum.
2. Wang Chuqin/Sun Yingsha advance into mixed doubles final at table tennis world championships
Wang Chuqin and Sun Yingsha stormed into the mixed doubles final and then went their separate ways to dispose of their respective singles rivals at the World Table Tennis Championships in Doha, Qatar, on May 23.
Seeking their third consecutive world title, Wang/Sun defeated South Korea's Lim Jong-hoon/Shin Yu-bin in straight sets to set up a gold medal clash against Japan's Maharu Yoshimura/Satsuki Odo.
Wang and teammate Liang Jingkun made the last four in men's singles as they face Truls Moregard of Sweden and Hugo Calderano of Brazil in their respective semifinals.
Sun will clash with Mima Ito of Japan in the women's singles semifinal, while Chen Xingtong and Wang Manyu will vie for the other ticket to the final.
3. China clinches two titles at 2025 badminton Thailand Open
China claimed titles in the women's singles and mixed doubles at the 2025 Thailand Open on May 18.
In the women's singles final, Chen Yufei of China won the gold medal with a convincing straight-set victory over Thailand's Pornpawee Chochuwong, 21-16, 21-12.
In the mixed doubles final, Feng Yanzhe and Huang Dongping defeated teammates Gao Jiaxuan and Wu Mengying 24-22, 21-16.
At the ongoing Malaysia Masters, Chinese shuttlers secured at least one berth in the last four in four categories expect men's doubles.
4. 2025 Taklimakan Rally kicks off in Aksu
The 2025 Taklimakan Rally roared to life on May 20 in Aksu Prefecture, northwestern China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region.
This year's Taklimakan Rally features 23 motorcycles and 105 vehicles, with racers set to tackle extreme heat and complex topography over approximately 5,200 kilometers, including 2,350 kilometers of timed special stages across deserts and Gobi plains, before concluding on June 1 in Makit County.
A new energy vehicle category was introduced for the first time, with ten vehicles competing in the debut class.
5. Wuhan Jiangda reaches inaugural AFC Women's Champions League final
Wuhan Jiangda became the first finalist of the inaugural AFC Women's Champions League after a dominant 2-0 victory over Vietnam's Ho Chi Minh City FC on May 21.
Local star Wang Shuang pounced on a poor clearance and curled a stunning strike into the net in the 34th minute. Just nine minutes into the second half, Song Duan unleashed a long-range shot from outside the penalty area to make it 2-0.
Wuhan will face Melbourne City in the final after the Australian side edged South Korea's Hyundai Steel Red Angels through a last-gasp stunner from 17-year-old Shelby McMahon.
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