Shenzhen, China: Hong Kong is guaranteed the men’s singles title at the 2026 China Masters after Lee Cheuk Yiu and Jason Gunawan produced superb semifinal performances to set up a historic all-Hong Kong final.
Gunawan survived a marathon 98-minute battle against Denmark’s fifth seed Anders Antonsen, fighting back to win 15-21, 22-20, 21-16. Earlier, Lee delivered a composed straight-games performance to defeat France’s second seed Christo Popov 21-15, 21-19.
The result gives Hong Kong its first all-Hong Kong men’s singles final in the HSBC BWF World Tour era and guarantees the territory one of its biggest badminton titles in recent years.
Malaysia also has reason to celebrate after mixed doubles independents Hoo Pang Ron and Lai Pei Jing reached their first World Tour final together, continuing an extraordinary China Masters run with a dominant semifinal victory.
Jason Gunawan Produces 98-Minute Comeback Against Anders Antonsen
Gunawan’s semifinal was the more dramatic of the two Hong Kong victories.
The 22-year-old dropped the opening game 15-21 against the experienced Antonsen and then found himself under enormous pressure in a tight second game.
Gunawan held his nerve at the critical moment, taking the game 22-20 before completing the comeback 21-16 in the decider.
- Winner: Jason Gunawan of Hong Kong
- Defeated: Anders Antonsen of Denmark
- Score: 15-21, 22-20, 21-16
- Match duration: 98 minutes
- Round: 2026 China Masters semifinal
The victory sends Gunawan into the first Super 750 final of his career and completes a remarkable week in Shenzhen.
He had already produced one of the biggest badminton upsets of the tournament by defeating newly crowned world No. 1 Jonatan Christie before eliminating defending champion Weng Hongyang in the quarterfinals.
Watch Jason Gunawan vs Anders Antonsen Highlights
Lee Cheuk Yiu Beats Christo Popov in Straight Games
Lee Cheuk Yiu needed considerably less drama to book his place in the final.
Facing France’s second-seeded Christo Popov, Lee controlled the important stages of both games and closed out a 21-15, 21-19 victory.
- Winner: Lee Cheuk Yiu of Hong Kong
- Defeated: Christo Popov of France
- Score: 21-15, 21-19
- Round: 2026 China Masters semifinal
Popov had looked dangerous throughout the tournament and had comfortably defeated Japan’s World Championships runner-up Kodai Naraoka 21-10, 21-14 in the quarterfinals.
Lee, however, was able to neutralize the Frenchman’s attack and ensure that Hong Kong would occupy both places in the men’s singles championship match.
Watch Lee Cheuk Yiu vs Christo Popov Highlights
Historic All-Hong Kong Men’s Singles Final
Lee and Gunawan will now face each other for the China Masters title in a match that carries significance far beyond the trophy itself.
It will be the first all-Hong Kong men’s singles final in the HSBC BWF World Tour era.
For two players who spend countless hours training together and know each other’s games extremely well, the occasion will be both unusual and memorable.
“It’s fantastic. I think it’s the first time we can test ourselves against each other in a title match. We know each other very well. We train a lot together,” Gunawan said.
The only previous World Tour final featuring Hong Kong players on both sides came in mixed doubles at the 2018 Macau Open, when Tang Chun Man and Tse Ying Suet faced Reginald Lee and Chau Hoi Wah.
Gunawan Hopes Breakthrough Can Inspire Hong Kong Badminton
For Gunawan, reaching the final is more than an individual achievement.
He hopes his breakthrough can give confidence to younger Hong Kong players and demonstrate that they can compete against the strongest badminton nations on the World Tour.
“It’s a great confidence boost for us and our team. Hopefully, we can show our teammates and younger players that we can fight against the stronger teams.”
Gunawan said both finalists hope to produce their best badminton in the championship match.
“We both hope we can play our A game and show the audience the best fight.”
Wong Choong Hann Emotional After Gunawan’s Victory
The significance of the result was also clear on the sidelines.
Hong Kong coach Wong Choong Hann, the former Malaysian men’s singles star, became visibly emotional after watching Gunawan complete his comeback against Antonsen.
Wong shed tears of joy as the realization set in that Hong Kong had secured both places in the China Masters men’s singles final.
For a coach who has spent years working with the players, seeing two members of the same program reach a Super 750 final against each other represented a major milestone.
Hoo Pang Ron-Lai Pei Jing Reach China Masters Final
Malaysia will also have representation on finals day through Hoo Pang Ron and Lai Pei Jing.
The independent mixed doubles pair extended their extraordinary winning run by defeating China’s Zhu Yi Jun and Li Qian 21-12, 21-10 in the semifinals.
- Winners: Hoo Pang Ron/Lai Pei Jing of Malaysia
- Defeated: Zhu Yi Jun/Li Qian of China
- Score: 21-12, 21-10
- Round: China Masters semifinal
The Malaysians dictated the match from the beginning rather than waiting for the Chinese pair to make mistakes.
They applied pressure throughout the rallies and never allowed Zhu and Li to establish a rhythm.
Four Fingers Down, Hoo-Lai Want Five
Hoo has developed a simple celebration throughout the tournament — raising one additional finger after every victory.
One finger followed the opening-round win, two after the second round, three after the quarterfinals and four after Saturday’s semifinal victory.
Now there is only one number left.
“The first match was one finger, the second win two fingers, yesterday three, and this is the fourth. Hopefully tomorrow it will be five fingers,” Hoo said.
A fifth victory would give Hoo and Lai their first title together.
Hoo-Lai Have Defeated Four Pairs in Shenzhen
Their road to the final has been one of the most impressive stories of the tournament.
Hoo and Lai entered Shenzhen ranked only world No. 85 but repeatedly defeated opponents ranked well above them.
They opened by beating Hong Kong’s world No. 25 Chan Yin Chak and Ng Tsz Yau before stunning China’s world No. 9 and sixth-seeded Cheng Xing and Zhang Chi.
In the quarterfinals, they defeated Chinese Taipei’s Liu Kuang Heng and Hsu Yin-Hui 24-22, 21-5. Liu and Hsu had previously eliminated newly crowned French world champions Thom Gicquel and Delphine Delrue.
The semifinal then became Hoo and Lai’s most convincing victory yet, as they conceded just 22 points across two games against Zhu and Li.
First World Tour Final for Hoo Pang Ron-Lai Pei Jing
The result gives Lai her first World Tour final with Hoo since the pair began competing together earlier this year.
Hoo has previously reached the China Masters final, doing so in 2024 alongside Cheng Su Yin.
For Lai, reaching the championship match after the pair’s recent development is a particularly satisfying achievement.
“I’m very happy right now. There’s no other feeling except happiness and pride. We knew this match wouldn’t be easy, so we just focused on every point,” Lai said.
Hoo also credited the pair’s preparation during a three-month break from competition.
The longer training period allowed them to work closely with their coaches and support team before returning to international badminton in Shenzhen.
Hoo Pang Ron-Lai Pei Jing Face World No. 1 Feng-Huang
The final challenge will be the biggest one yet.
Hoo and Lai will face China’s world No. 1 Feng Yan Zhe and Huang Dong Ping for the Super 750 title.
A victory would complete an extraordinary five-match run and give the Malaysian pair their first championship together.
After four consecutive victories in Shenzhen, Hoo hopes the five-finger celebration will finally appear on finals day.
An Se Young Beats Akane Yamaguchi Again
In women’s singles, world No. 1 An Se Young continued her exceptional run by defeating Japan’s Akane Yamaguchi 21-13, 21-15.
- Winner: An Se Young of South Korea
- Defeated: Akane Yamaguchi of Japan
- Score: 21-13, 21-15
- Round: China Masters semifinal
The match was a repeat of the recent World Championships final in New Delhi, where An also defeated Yamaguchi to capture her second world title.
An again controlled the contest in Shenzhen and advanced without dropping a game.
Tomoka Miyazaki Stuns Wang Zhi Yi
Japan’s Tomoka Miyazaki will be An’s opponent in the final after producing a major victory against China’s second seed Wang Zhi Yi.
Miyazaki edged two extremely tight games 21-19, 23-21.
- Winner: Tomoka Miyazaki of Japan
- Defeated: Wang Zhi Yi of China
- Score: 21-19, 23-21
The result sends Miyazaki into the championship match against the dominant Korean world No. 1.
2026 China Masters Women’s Singles Final
An Se Young of South Korea vs Tomoka Miyazaki of Japan
An will be chasing another major title and extending one of the longest winning runs of her career, while Miyazaki has an opportunity to claim a breakthrough victory over the sport’s leading women’s singles player.
Tee Kai Wun-Yap Roy King Fall Short in Men’s Doubles Semifinal
Malaysia’s Tee Kai Wun and Yap Roy King came agonizingly close to another final but were stopped by China’s He Ji Ting and Ren Xiang Yu.
The Malaysians pushed the match to three games before losing 21-23, 21-17, 17-21 from their perspective.
- Winners: He Ji Ting/Ren Xiang Yu of China
- Defeated: Tee Kai Wun/Yap Roy King of Malaysia
- Score: 23-21, 17-21, 21-17
He and Ren had earlier eliminated Malaysia’s Soh Wooi Yik and Aaron Tai in the quarterfinals and have now beaten a second Malaysian combination in succession.
Satwik-Chirag End Nur Azriyn-Tan Wee Kiong’s Run
Malaysia’s other men’s doubles semifinalists Nur Azriyn Ayub and Tan Wee Kiong were also eliminated after a competitive three-game contest against India’s fourth seeds Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty.
The Indian pair won 21-16, 18-21, 21-11.
- Winners: Satwiksairaj Rankireddy/Chirag Shetty of India
- Defeated: Nur Azriyn Ayub/Tan Wee Kiong of Malaysia
- Score: 21-16, 18-21, 21-11
Despite the defeat, reaching a first Super 750 semifinal together represented an impressive week for Nur Azriyn and Tan.
2026 China Masters Men’s Doubles Final
He Ji Ting/Ren Xiang Yu of China vs Satwiksairaj Rankireddy/Chirag Shetty of India
The final will pit a resurgent Chinese combination against one of the most established men’s doubles pairs in international badminton.
Bao Li Jing-Cao Zi Han Upset Jia Yi Fan-Zhang Shu Xian
China will have a women’s doubles finalist through Bao Li Jing and Cao Zi Han, who produced an impressive semifinal victory over fourth seeds Jia Yi Fan and Zhang Shu Xian.
Bao and Cao won 21-14, 21-13 in straight games.
- Winners: Bao Li Jing/Cao Zi Han of China
- Defeated: Jia Yi Fan/Zhang Shu Xian of China
- Score: 21-14, 21-13
Sumire Nakade-Miyu Takahashi Win All-Japanese Thriller
The other women’s doubles semifinal was considerably closer.
Sumire Nakade and Miyu Takahashi recovered after losing an extraordinary 24-26 opening game to defeat fellow Japanese pair Sayaka Hirota and Ayako Sakuramoto 24-26, 21-16, 21-16.
- Winners: Sumire Nakade/Miyu Takahashi of Japan
- Defeated: Sayaka Hirota/Ayako Sakuramoto of Japan
- Score: 24-26, 21-16, 21-16
2026 China Masters Women’s Doubles Final
Bao Li Jing/Cao Zi Han of China vs Sumire Nakade/Miyu Takahashi of Japan
China and Japan will therefore contest the women’s doubles championship after both finalists came through very different semifinal matches.
China Masters Finals Set After Historic Badminton Semifinal Day
The men’s singles story will command much of the attention on finals day.
For the first time in the BWF World Tour era, two Hong Kong men’s singles players will face each other for a tour title.
Jason Gunawan arrives after a career-changing tournament in which he defeated Jonatan Christie, Weng Hongyang and Anders Antonsen. Lee Cheuk Yiu has taken a more controlled path and now has an opportunity to add one of the biggest titles of his career.
Malaysia, meanwhile, will look to Hoo Pang Ron and Lai Pei Jing, whose remarkable run from world No. 85 has taken them all the way to a Super 750 final.
An Se Young remains the player to beat in women’s singles, while Tomoka Miyazaki will attempt to produce the biggest upset of the championship weekend.
From Hong Kong’s historic men’s singles breakthrough to Hoo and Lai’s five-finger title dream, the 2026 China Masters finals are set to provide another major day of badminton in Shenzhen.
