Chengdu: China’s men’s and women’s teams recreated history from 38 years ago by overcoming Indonesia in both the Thomas and Uber Cup finals and successfully clinching both titles on home turf on Sunday.
The last time China and Indonesia simultaneously entered the Thomas and Uber Cup finals was in 1986 in Jakarta. That victory for China in 1986 also marked the first time in history that both cups were won simultaneously by China.
On Sunday, two badminton legends, China’s “Super Dan” Lin Dan and Indonesia’s Taufik Hidayat, were also present at the venue, cheering for their respective teams.
In the Uber Cup final, the Chinese women’s team claimed the Uber Cup without too much of a problem by beating the Indonesian women’s team 3-0. This was China’s 16th Uber Cup title, which also showed China’s dominance in women’s badminton.
Highlights of China vs. Indonesia in the 2024 Uber Cup Finals:
In the Thomas Cup that took place Sunday evening, China’s World No. 2 Shi Yuqi was leading the charge in the first men’s singles match and defeated Indonesia’s World No. 7 Anthony Sinisuka Ginting with scores of 21-17, and 21-6.
Highlights of China vs. Indonesia in the 2024 Thomas Cup Finals:
The second match was a showdown between the World No. 1 Chinese pair, Liang Wei Keng/Wang Chang, and Indonesia’s World No. 7 Fajar Alfian/Muhammad Rian Ardianto. The intense battle lasted for 63 minutes, with Liang/Wang clinching victory with scores of 21-18, 17-21, 21-17.
In the second men’s singles match that followed, World No. 6 Li Shifeng faced off against World No. 3 Jonatan Christie. Ultimately, the All England and Asian Games champion Christie staged a comeback, winning 21-16, 15-21, 21-17, preventing Indonesia from being swept 3-0 and securing a valuable point for his team with an overall score of 1-2.
The fourth match featured the World No. 11 pair of He Jiting/Ren Xiangyu against Indonesia’s World No. 9 Muhammad Shohibul Fikri/Bagas Maulana. With the support of the home crowd, He Jiting/Ren Xiangyu emerged victorious with scores of 21-11, and 21-15, securing the Thomas Cup for China after a six-year Thomas Cup drought.
