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Indian Express
04-05-2025
- Sport
- Indian Express
China win Sudirman Cup for 14th time: An Seyoung does her bit but no stopping Chinese all-round dominance
South Korea had An Seyoung. The incredibly gifted shuttler, reigning World and Olympic Champion, has made a sensational start to 2025 even by her very high standards. On Sunday at the Sudirman Cup title clash, she extended her winning run to 25 matches out of 25 played this calendar year. China, however, had everything else going for them. Their remarkable depth of talent across the five disciplines was once again on display as they beat South Korea 3-1 to win the World Mixed Team Championships for an incredible 14th time on their 16th straight appearance in the final. Korea is next best with 4 titles, now 10 fewer than China. Before the tie began, China had the luxury of pulling off a surprise in women's singles, fielding world No 2 Wang Zhi Yi for fresher legs than Tokyo Olympic champion Chen Yufei, who had featured in the quarterfinals and semifinals. Even though it didn't eventually pay off, Wang did have her moments in a straight-games defeat against An in what was a repeat of the sensational All England final earlier this year. 'Happy that I could win for the team,' An, who has only dropped 3 games in 25 matches in her perfect start to the year, told BWF. 'This is my fourth Sudirman Cup and finally I could win a match in the final. I was able to overcome the pressure. In a team event the pressure is different from an individual tournament.' But elsewhere, China's dominance was well and truly ascertained. The opening mixed doubles tie was always going to be critical to the overall outcome and Seo Seungjae and Chae Yujung's spirited display ran out of steam against Feng Yanzhe and Huang Dongpoing. In a thrilling match, the Koreans (reigning world champions but no longer a regular pair on the tour) took the second game but having played late on Saturday, they didn't have the legs in the end with Chae admitting to errors creeping in as she had to keep stretching herself. The men's singles was an absolute no contest as expected with Jeon Hyeokjin managing to win only 10 points in the 21-5, 21-5 match against world No 1 Shi Yuqi. Korea would have fancied their chances in men's doubles with the red-hot pairing of Seo and Kim Won Ho but it was slated as match No 5 and China had the world's best women's doubles pair on their side. Liu Shengsu and Tan Ning were cruising towards the win when World No 3 Baek Hana and Lee Sohee threatened a late fightback in second game. But as Liu-Tan surged ahead from 16-16 to close the match out, they fell on the court while their teammates mobbed them. Gold, never in doubt. Results: China 3-1 Korea
Indian Express
03-05-2025
- Sport
- Indian Express
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.
Indian Express
26-04-2025
- Sport
- Indian Express
Sudirman Cup 2025: Depleted India hope PV Sindhu, Lakshya Sen lead from the front in tricky group
In many ways, the build-up to the biggest team event of the year in badminton has largely matched the nature of India's results on tour: subdued. Given the famous men's team's Thomas Cup triumph back in 2022, and to a smaller extent, the women's team winning the Asia Team Championships in 2024, there have been expectations around team events – that India can go toe-to-toe with the world's best when it comes to these marquee tournaments that usually display a country's badminton depth. On paper, with a fully fit squad, India would have fancied their chances of doing well at the Sudirman Cup Finals this year, primarily because of the improved results in the three doubles disciplines in the recent past. While form has been patchy lately, on their day Satwiksairaj Rankireddy-Chirag Shetty, and Treesa Jolly-Gayatri Gopichand would have been able to challenge most pairs in the world. But the former world No 1 men's doubles duo – SatChi – as well as the country's only entries in the top 10 across disciplines – TreGa – are not in the squad for the tournament, starting in Xiamen on Sunday. The Indian Express understands both Treesa and Gayatri are carrying some sort of niggles, so even fielding one of them in a scratch women's doubles pairing wasn't an option. The same with Satwik and Chirag, with the former recovering from an illness while the latter has been having issues with his lower back, which led to their early withdrawal from the prestigious All England Open last month. No other tournament tests the depth of the badminton talent pool like the Sudirman Cup Finals. The 2025 edition of the biennial World Mixed Team Championships will see the top 16 teams who qualified for the tournament through continental events and world rankings compete for the coveted title – and perhaps eventually come to a familiar realisation that nobody does this better than China. The badminton powerhouses, who have sometimes been overcome in the recent past in the men's and women's World Team events (Thomas and Uber Cup finals) are once again the supreme favourites for the mixed team event, because of their enviable talent across all five disciplines. RELATED | Sudirman Cup 2025: India's squad led by PV Sindhu and Lakshya Sen, schedule, opponents and where to watch For India, the challengers in Group D are the second seeds, Indonesia and European powerhouses, Denmark. England are the fourth team in the group, out of which only the top two will make it through to the quarterfinals, a hurdle that already seems daunting. The onus falls on Lakshya Sen, PV Sindhu and HS Prannoy to steer India through a hugely tricky group. The lack of men's doubles depth is particularly jarring as below SatChi, the next best option is world No 41 Hariharan Amsakarunan and Ruban Kumar Rethinasabapathi, with no backup named. But it is a golden opportunity for the youngsters to test the waters at this level. Shruti Mishra and Priya Konjengbam are a bit more experienced in women's doubles, but India might be tempted to play Tanisha Crasto in a scratch pairing if required. Something similar could be tried with Dhruv Kapila for men's doubles too, as funky combinations are commonplace in such events. The silver lining on India's otherwise dismal start to the BWF World Tour in 2025 has been the steady rise of Tanisha's mixed doubles partnership with Dhruv. Now up to world No 17, they were India's last standing contenders at the Asia Championships this month in Ningbo and have been building their levels up steadily. Two singles wins, plus an upset or two in mixed doubles, would be India's potential pathway to three wins out of the five matches in a tie. ALSO READ | All England Open: For Satwik-Chirag, a doubles bond, for the good times and bad – 'He was there for me' It is worth noting that Indonesia and Denmark are not at their strongest either, but still boast better depth across disciplines. Anthony Ginting has been out of action for a while, and Indonesia recently lost Paris Olympics medallist Gregoria Mariska Tunjung as well. But with Jonatan Christie leading the charge, and an abundance of talent in doubles disciplines, they start as outright favourites in the group. This means India have a must-win, unofficial knockout match as early as Day 1. Sindhu, Lakshya and Co must simply beat Denmark to stay in contention. Former Danish coach and commentator Steen Pedersen predicts a close one. 'Denmark travel to Xiamen without Viktor Axelsen, Rasmus Gemke, Frederik Sogaard and Mia Blichfeldt. WD of Thygesen/Fruergaard is retired and Astrup/Rasmussen has looked off form since Rasmussen's injury. Uphill task for Danes as the first match vs India looks like a thriller,' Pedersen wrote on X. If Sindhu can hold her end of the bargain, and whoever is selected for men's singles can pull off an upset against Anders Antonsen, it could get interesting. But beyond their chances of progressing through to the knockouts, this tournament gives an opportunity to the Indian contingent to find a spark or two in what has been a disappointing year so far. You never know, these team events tend to sometimes bring out something extra in players. An atmosphere that they don't otherwise find themselves in on the tour. India's squad: India's Group D schedule: (all ties start at 2.30 pm IST)
Indian Express
26-04-2025
- Sport
- Indian Express
Sudirman Cup 2025: India's squad led by PV Sindhu and Lakshya Sen, schedule, opponents and where to watch
The BWF Sudirman Cup Finals is the name given to the World Mixed Team Championships. The event takes place once every two years, alternating with the Thomas and Uber Cup Finals – which are the World Men's and Women's Team Championships respectively. The Sudirman Cup is often considered the pinnacle of a country's badminton depth, as it tests the depth across all five categories. Each tie in the Sudirman Cup Finals (named so because only the best teams in the world can qualify for the event) will consist of men's singles, women's singles, men's doubles, women's doubles and mixed doubles. Where's the 2025 Sudirman Cup being held? As has been the case recently, it is China hosting another major BWF event. This time it is Xiamen starting from 27 April to 4 May. Hosts China are the defending champions as well, and by some distance the most successful team in the history of the tournament, having won it a whopping 13 times, South Korea have won it four times, while Indonesia won the inaugural edition. What's the format? The 16 teams are divided into four groups, with top seeds China placed in Group A and second seeds Indonesia in Group D. The top two teams from each group will qualify for the knockout rounds, for which a draw will be conducted once more. Semifinalists will be assured a place on the podium. How's India's group? Tricky. India were drawn into Group D alongside second seeds Indonesia, European powerhouse Denmark and a tricky England unit. The squad has been significantly weakened too, by the injury-enforced absences of top doubles pairs Satwik-Chirag and Treesa-Gayatri. But, on the flip side, Indonesia and Denmark too are hit by withdrawals, so it could be still be a close shootout for the top two. What's India's squad? Men: Lakshya Sen, HS Prannoy, Hariharan Amsakarunan, Ruban Kumar R., Dhruv Kapila, Sathish Kumar Karunakaran Women: PV Sindhu, Anupama Upadhyaya, Tanisha Crasto, Priya Konjengbam, Shruti Mishra, Aadya Variyat What's India's schedule and where to watch? India vs Denmark, April 27: 2.30 pm IST India vs Indonesia, April 29: 2.30 pm IST India vs England, May 1: 2.30 pm IST Where to watch Sudirman Cup 2025? Although BWF events are telecast / streamed on the Star Sports network and JioHotstar it is not clear yet where the Sudirman Cup finals will be available in India. If there isn't an official broadcaster, matches will be available on BWF TV YouTube.
Indian Express
21-04-2025
- Sport
- Indian Express
Badminton: Satwik-Chirag ruled out of Sudirman Cup 2025
Indian men's doubles duo Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty have been ruled out of the upcoming Sudirman Cup Finals scheduled from 27th April in Xiamen, China. As per the latest social media update by the Badminton Association of India (BAI) on Instagram, the duo has been ruled out of the World Mixed Team Championships event due to sickness. The world number 11 pair has been troubled with injuries since the last season, and despite starting the season with two semi-final finishes at the Malaysia Open Super 1000 and India Open Super 750, the pair are having an inconsistent season by their recent standards on the tour. Satwik/Chirag pulling out means that India will be left with the duo of Hariharan Amsakarunana and Ruban Kumar R in the men's doubles section from the original squad. There is no official word on replacements. Earlier, top Indian women's doubles pair Treesa Jolly and Gayatri Gopichand also pulled out due to injuries, putting the responsibility on the young shoulders of Shruti Mishra and Priya Konjengbam. Lakshya Sen, HS Prannoy, and double Olympic medallist PV Sindhu will lead India's charge in the tournament. India, placed in Group D, will face a challenging first round with ties against former champions Indonesia, two-time runners-up Denmark, and a strong England side. India qualified for this tournament based on world rankings and will be eager to secure a spot in the knockouts of the Sudirman Cup 2025 from this tough group. India squad for Sudirman Cup
