DUBAI: Promising women’s doubles duo Liu Sheng Shu and Tan Ning claimed the winning points for China as Blue Ocean Badminton Asia Mixed Team Championships came to a close at the Expo City-Dubai Exhibition Centre on Sunday.
Sheng Shu and Ning defeated the Korean pair of Jeong Na Eun and Lee So Hee 21-11, 21-10 in the fourth rubber as China defeated South Korea 3-1 to defend their 2019 Championships title in style. Team India and Thailand were the bronze medallist after they finished as the losing semi-finalists, while all the four teams qualified for the Sudirman Cup scheduled for May 2023 in China.
The closing ceremony was graced by His Excellency Sheikh Nahayan bin Mabarak Al Nahayan, Minister of Tolerance, who presented the winning trophy to Team China, while Badminton Asia treasurer Jassem Kanso and secretary general Moosa Nashid, UAE Badminton Federation president Noura Aljasmi were also part of occasio
Winning start
Earlier, rising stars Lei Lan Xi and Gao Fang Jie, who had defeated top ranked shuttlers H.S. Prannoy and P.V. Sindhu a day before, gave China a rousing start after winning their respective men’s and women’s singles matches.
Gao, who has returned to international competitions only last year after a long lay-off due to ankle injury, was happy to execute her plans in the match against Kim Ga Eun. “This was the last opportunity to give full potential, so I displayed all tactics and strategy. My goal is to qualify for high level tournament.”
“We are united and players cheer for each other and support for its members.”
Korea’s men’s doubles pair of Kim Won-Ho and Na Sung Seung came up with a spirited show to beat He Ji Ting and Zhou Hao Dong 21-19, 16-21, 17-21 to bring a point to Korea. “We changed the strategy after the first game as they were very good in drives. We tried to place the shuttle in the four corners, and it worked. We are happy to bring the first point to Korean side,” said Won-Ho, part of Korea’s mixed team winning side in Gold Coast 2017 Sudirman Cup.
The men’s doubles pairs’ win however couldn’t help Korea as they lost the next match.
Learning experience
China head coach Xia Xuan Ze was happy with the young team’s show at the continental championships and said: “the Championships was a great learning experience for these young players, and this will help them improve their games.”
He also singled out the women’s doubles pair of Sheng Shu and Ning who have stepped up in the finals after losing their matches in the last two rounds. “They are all young players. And these kinds of experiences will help them grow as a player. The mixed doubles and women’s doubles are very promising, and we have good hopes from them in future.”
“These players will be aiming to qualify for Paris 2024 and Los Angeles 2028 Olympics,” said Ze, an All-England Open Badminton champion adding that “regular practice” have been the reason for their success.
Badminton Asia praises local organisers
Meanwhile, Badminton Asia secretary general Moosa Nashid congratulated the local organisers, the Blue Ocean Corporation and Beyond Boundaries for the hosting a successful event.
“This was a dream come true for us to having this magnitude of an event in Dubai. We feel the gravity of badminton having spread in parts of Asia because we were having major tournaments in far East and Central Asia. And this is the first time, we have moved to West Asia and with the involvement of number of countries as well as the impact we have seen especially from the developing countries and the top nations in the world.
“And we are very amazed to see the amount of involvement from all the stakeholders in these Championships. I am very pleased to appreciate with the kind of partnership we have developed with the local organisers. This is one the best tournaments we have had in this part of Asia,” he added.
RESULT
FINAL: China bt Korea 3-1
MS: Lei Lan Xi (CHN) bt LEE Yun Gyu (KOR) 21-16, 21-15
WS: Gao Fang Jie bt Kim Ga Eun (KOR) 21-15, 21-15
MD: He Ji Ting/Zhou Hao Dong (CHN) lost to Kim Won Ho/ Na Sung Seung (KOR) 21-19, 16-21, 17-21
WD: Liu Sheng Shu/Tan Ning (CHN) bt Jeong Na Eun/ Lee So Hee 21-11, 21-10