China inflict double agony on Indonesia to lift badminton's Thomas and Uber Cups

China’s team celebrates after winning against Indonesia at the men’s final match at the end of the Thomas and Uber Cup badminton tournament (Pic: AFP)

China completed a Thomas and Uber Cups double Sunday as both men's and women's teams beat Indonesia to win their respective world team championship finals in Chengdu.

The men, who won 3-1, lifted China's first Thomas Cup since they beat Japan in 2018 -- and their 11th in all. But it meant agony again for 14-time winners Indonesia, who lost their second successive final after falling to India two years ago in Bangkok. In the women's event, Indonesia had earlier been powerless to prevent a flawless China lifting the Uber Cup for a record-extending 16th time with a 3-0 victory.

The next most successful women's nation are Japan, who have won the Uber Cup six times. He Bingjiao's 10-21, 21-15, 21-17 victory against Ester Nurumi Tri Wardoyo completed a perfect 24-0 tournament match record for China's women. They regained the title they lost to South Korea two years ago in Thailand. In the night session, world number two Shi Yuqi got China's men off to a fast start by destroying seventh-ranked Anthony Ginting 21-17, 21-6 in 43 hugely impressive minutes.

The pivotal moments came in the first doubles as Liang Weikeng and Wang Chang edged an epic to beat Fajar Alfian and Muhammad Rian Ardianto 21-18, 17-21, 21-17 in a 64-minute thriller. The Chinese pair fought back time and again after trailing 10-4 in the opening game, 6-3 in the second and 8-4 in the third in a gutsy display.

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World number three Jonatan Christie gave Indonesia some hope when he beat sixth-ranked Li Shifeng 21-16, 15-21, 21-17 in 1hr 17min of see-saw action to extend the final. But Indonesia's chances were snuffed out when He Jiting and Ren Xiangyu ran away with the second doubles 21-11, 21-15 in just 37 minutes to beat Muhammad Shohibul Fikri and Bagas Maulana and seal the trophy.

Earlier the outranked Indonesian women's slim chances had hinged on Gregoria Mariska Tunjung breaking through in the opening singles against Chen Yufei. But Chen never allowed her opponent into the contest in a comprehensive 21-7, 21-16 win in just 38 minutes.

"I didn't feel that comfortable although I have played such matches before," said Chen. "I still feel stressed, and maybe my opponent was. I always feel pressured in finals. "I have lost to her before. What I did was watch a lot of matches that I'd lost to her. It's not going to help if I only watch matches that I won." Chen Qingchen and Jia Yifan did not give Siti Fadia Silva Ramadhanti and Ribka Sugiarto a sniff in a 39-minute doubles demolition.

"The scariest thing is when people think you should win," said Chen Qingchen. "Things become different when you assume you can win. The only thing we need to do is prepare and be humble." Their 21-11, 21-8 canter set up He for the Cup-winning victory in the second singles. "During the last three years we experienced failures, and I'm happy that we could regain the title," said He.

(With agency inputs)