Latest news with #ChenYufei
Straits Times
3 days ago
- Sport
- Straits Times
China's Chen Yufei, Thailand's Kunlavut Vitidsarn claim singles titles at KFF S'pore Badminton Open
China's Chen Yufei claimed her fourth individual title of 2025 with a victory at the KFF Singapore Badminton Open on June 1. PHOTO: LIANHE ZAOBAO SINGAPORE – After a disappointing Olympic campaign in August 2024 where she suffered a shock quarter-final exit, China's Chen Yufei found herself re-evaluating her career. Unsure about her future in the sport, she took a hiatus, during which she completed a 10-week English course in Melbourne. However, time away only solidified her passion for badminton and she returned to competition in February 2025, contributing to China's win at the Badminton Asia Mixed Team Championships. The 27-year-old has quickly regained her form and showed her class on the court, claiming four individual titles in a row. Her latest came on June 1 at the KFF Singapore Open as she defeated compatriot Wang Zhiyi 21-11, 21-11 to capture her first win at the US$1 million (S$1.29 million) event. On how her game has benefited from last year's break, the 2024 runner-up said: 'It mainly helped me relax more and deal with pressure better. 'It was like starting over, especially with my ranking continuously dropping, everything signalled a fresh beginning.' It was that mindset that helped Chen, who has risen from world No. 11 to five since her return, extend her unbeaten streak to 20 matches, a run dating back to the Swiss Open in March. En route to the final in Singapore, she recorded victories over higher-ranked opponents, including a 21-13, 21-16 win over reigning Olympic champion and world No. 1 An Se-young in the quarter-finals. In the final, Chen pulled ahead 11-7 at the interval. As Wang struggled with the draught, Chen was quick to retrieve her opponent's shots, taking the first game 21-11. She led throughout the second game, and at 16-11, she reeled off five points in a row to bag victory and the winner's cheque of US$70,000. 'The draw for this tournament wasn't particularly favourable for me, so to be able to fight through one match at a time to the end was beyond what I expected,' said the reigning Asian champion, who also had to face India's former world champion and two-time Olympic medallist P.V. Sindhu in the round of 16. 'That mindset of not putting too much pressure on myself helped. I felt more relaxed as compared to before, and that allowed me to bring out more of my own game on the court.' The former world No. 1 remains as ambitious as she hopes to add Asian Games and world titles to her impressive resume. Thailand's Kunlavut Vitidsarn will become the new world No. 1 when the world rankings are updated on June 3. PHOTO: LIANHE ZAOBAO The crowd of over 7,700 spectators was also treated to a dominant display by Thailand's Kunlavut Vitidsarn in the men's singles final as the reigning world champion claimed his fourth title of the season after beating China's Lu Guangzu 21-6, 21-10. World No. 15 Lu was no match for the Paris Olympics silver medallist, who was in imperious form and did not drop a single game throughout the tournament. Against a hapless Lu, whose decision-making was shaky at times, Kunlavut surged to a commanding 13-2 lead and cruised to victory in the first game. He remained in control in the second game, building a 14-4 advantage in no time. At 20-9, Lu saved a match point, but merely delayed Kunlavut's victory by a while as the Thai won the final in 37 minutes. His run in Singapore will see him leapfrog China's world No. 1 Shi Yuqi in the world rankings when they are updated on June 3, making him the first Thai men's singles player to reach the top spot. Kunlavut Vitidsarn claimed the men's singles title after beating China's Lu Guangzu 21-6, 21-10. PHOTO: LIANHE ZAOBAO He said: 'I feel really happy because I've been doing really well this year and there's room for me to grow in the following tournament. 'There are a lot of fans here in Singapore who are rooting for me – not just fans in Singapore but all over the world. I would like to see the badminton industry grow bigger and bigger.' The 24-year-old knows that the top spot will come with pressure, but is embracing it as he aims to reclaim his world title. He said: 'It's a good thing I'm world No. 1. Of course there's always pressure and I already said in the beginning that I would like to try to win all the tournaments and that's what I'm focused on at the moment.' South Korean world No. 8 women's doubles pair Kim Hye-jeong and Kong Hee-yong won their first Singapore Open title after overcoming Japan's world No. 6 Rin Iwanaga and Kie Nakanishi 21-16, 21-14. In the mixed doubles, Thailand's eighth-ranked Dechapol Puavaranukroh and Supissara Paewsampran overcame Hong Kong's world No. 3 Tang Chun Man and Tse Ying Suet 21-16, 21-9. New winners were also crowned in the men's doubles, with Malaysia's world No. 3 pair Aaron Chia and Soh Wooi Yik coming from behind to beat South Korea's 10th-ranked duo Kim Won-ho and Seo Seung-jae 15-21, 21-18, 21-19. Kimberly Kwek joined The Straits Times in 2019 as a sports journalist and has since covered a wide array of sports, including golf and sailing. Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
Malay Mail
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Malay Mail
New world no. 1 Kunlavut seals Singapore crown in style
Singapore, June 2 — Kunlavut Vitidsarn celebrated becoming the first man from Thailand to top the badminton world rankings by winning the Singapore Open in style on Sunday. The 24-year-old demolished China's unseeded Lu Guangzu 21-6, 21-10 in just 37 minutes with his range of powerful smashes and deceptive drop shots. Paris Olympics silver medallist Kunlavut will replace another Chinese player, Shi Yuqi, as world number one in a landmark for Thai badminton. It was his fourth title this season. 'There will be pressure to be the best player in the world, but it's going to be a good pressure as that will give me the added motivation of doing my best to win all the tournaments I take part in,' said Kunlavut, who lost the Paris final to Viktor Axelsen. Denmark's two-time Olympic champion Axelsen, the former number one, is currently working his way back to fitness following surgery for a back problem. In an all-Chinese women's final at the Singapore Indoor Stadium, the fifth seed Chen Yufei outplayed second-seeded Wang Zhiyi 21-11, 21-11. Chen was runner-up to world number one An Se-young last year. Chen ended the South Korean's unbeaten run in 2025 by defeating her in the quarter-finals this year. 'I'm really very happy with this win because the draw was not exactly in my favour and every match felt like a battle,' said Chen. 'To make it all the way to the final was honestly something unexpected. 'I felt like I was not under too much pressure this time, so I played more freely and showed what I'm capable of.' — AFP
India Gazette
6 days ago
- Sport
- India Gazette
Singapore Badminton Open 2025: Sindhu, Prannoy ousted; Satwik, Chirag keep India's challenge alive
Singapore City [Singapore], May 29 (ANI): India's star shuttlers PV Sindhu and HS Prannoy were overwhelmed in their respective contests and crashed out of the second round of the Singapore Badminton Open 2025 on Thursday. Sindhu, who broke the opening round exit jinx to qualify for the second round, was ousted by Olympic gold medallist Chen Yufei of the People's Republic of China by 21-9, 18-21, 21-16 in a fixture that lasted an hour and five minutes. The 17th-ranked Indian shuttler lost her mojo and struggled to find her groove in the opening game. Chen, the fifth-ranked star, dominated the court and raced to a 21-9 win to take a 1-0 lead. Sindhu retaliated brilliantly in the second game to restore parity but eventually ran out of steam, which brought her campaign to a bitter end. The recent setback marked the seventh loss in 13 meetings for the 29-year-old against Chen Yufei. Meanwhile, in the men's singles, Prannoy, the 34th-ranked Indian star, bowed out of the competition in straight sets with a 21-16, 21-14 defeat against world No. 23 Christo Popov of France. However, India's ace pair Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty continued their run in the men's doubles by staging a comeback victory over Indonesia's Sabar Karyaman Gutama and Muhammad Reza Pahlevi Isfahani. After a two-month-long injury layoff due to illness and injury, Satwik and Chirag announced their return to the court on a triumphant note. Ranked 27th in the men's doubles rankings, the Indian duo was hammered in the opening game but bounced back flawlessly to outgun the Indonesian pair. In the women's doubles, eighth-seeded Treesa Jolly and Gayatri Gopichand's run in the tournament concluded following their 21-8, 21-10 against Jia Yifan and Zhang Shuxian of China. In the mixed doubles category, Rohan Kapoor and Ruthvika Shivani Gadde went down 21-10, 21-16 against Tang Chun Man and Tse Ying Suet of Hong Kong China. (ANI)
The Star
03-05-2025
- Sport
- The Star
Yufei in good stead to steer China to 14th crown
PETALING JAYA: Women's singles shuttler Chen Yufei is ready to propel China to another Sudirman Cup crown today after starring in the team's 3-0 victory over Japan in the semi-finals. Yufei claimed the winning point for the hosts after brilliantly coming from behind to beat long time rival Akane Yamaguchi 17-21, 21-9, 21-16 in a hard fought 76-minute match at the Xiamen Fenghuang Gymnasium yesterday. Earlier, mixed doubles pair Feng Yanzhe-Huang Dongping had given China the perfect start when they swept aside Hiroki Midorikawa-Arisa Igarashi 21-11, 21-17. Then, world No. 1 Shi Yuqi doubled his team's lead by overpowering world No. 8 Kodai Naraoka 21-8, 21-16 in the men's singles. The victory ensured that China reached the final for an astonishing 16th consecutive edition in the mixed team meet. The team will be the favourites to win the title for the 14th time and will take on either South Korea or Indonesia in the final. Yufei is not celebrating just yet as she wants to finish the job first. 'I am very happy with the result but the Sudirman Cup has not ended yet. We will leave the celebrations after we claim the title,' said Yufei in a post match interview with the Badminton World Federation (BWF). 'If I'm fielded in the final, I need to ensure that I'm in my best condition and prepare well. 'The whole team will work together. Everyone is feeling motivated to win the title. 'There will be pressure for both teams in the title-deciding tie but it's important for us to stay confident,' added Yufei. Both Yufei and Yuqi played important roles in China's triumphs in the past three editions in 2019 (Nanning), 2021 (Vantaa) and 2023 (Suzhou).
RTHK
03-05-2025
- Sport
- RTHK
China strolls to Sudirman Cup final with eye on record
China strolls to Sudirman Cup final with eye on record Japan's Akane Yamaguchi walks past the Chinese team after losing her match against Chen Yufei in Xiamen. Photo: AFP Defending champions China advanced to the final of badminton's Sudirman Cup with a commanding 3-0 victory over Japan on Saturday, captivating the home crowd as they close in on a record-extending 14th title. China's world number two mixed doubles pair Feng Yanzhe and Huang Dongping set the tone, beating Hiroki Midorikawa and Arisa Igarashi 21-11 21-17 in the opener. Top seed Shi Yuqi then crushed eighth-ranked Kodai Naraoka 21-8 21-16 in the men's singles to hand China a 2-0 lead. Japan showed resilience in the women's singles, where Akane Yamaguchi, who had won 21 of her previous 33 encounters with Chen Yufei, pushed the Tokyo Games champion to three games but Chen held her nerve to prevail 17-21 21-9 21-16. China, who have won the biennial mixed team championship 13 times, will meet either four-times champions South Korea or 1989 winners Indonesia in the final, with the two teams facing off in their semi-final clash this evening. (Reuters)
