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Lin Dan leaps for joy after winning his men's singles match in the Sudirman Cup final against Japan's Takuma Ueda. Photo: AFP

Lin Dan leads China to sixth straight Sudirman Cup title with victory over Japan

Home side score 3-0 victory in the final after a dominating performance in Dongguan

AFP

China won their sixth consecutive Sudirman Cup on Sunday in Dongguan, defeating Japan, which had reached the badminton tournament’s finals for the first time.

Thousands welcomed home team China with horns and drums as they entered and huddled to chants of "go China, go", with jeers heard when the Japanese team arrived on the court in the southern Chinese city of Dongguan.

China swept Japan 3-0 in a series of tightly contested matches during the final day of the event, with Chinese superstar Lin Dan jumping in the air and  pumping his fist after winning his men’s single match against Japan’s Takuma Ueda 21-15, 21-13.

"[The win] means a lot to me because I was in the men’s singles for the finals and made the contribution for our team’s win,” Lin said after  receiving his gold medal.

[The win] means a lot to me because I was in the men’s singles for the finals and made the contribution for our team’s win
Lin Dan, China player

But the 31-year-old Lin also said he felt a bit nervous coming into the match. "I had the confidence to beat Ueda, but I couldn’t tell why I felt a little  nervous and pressure when I played the game," he said. "We wanted to have the consecutive win to keep the Sudirman Cup in China."

Lin also said that the Japanese badminton team would be strong opponents for China in the Thomas Cup in 2016.

"I never thought that Japan’s victory last year in the Thomas Cup was an accident because we’ve seen a lot of strong opponents from Japan, Denmark and Korea," he said.

"Next year is also the Olympics so we need to have good performance in the Thomas and Uber Cup."

China’s Li Xuerui, the top seeded women’s singles player, exchanged leads with her opponent Akane Yamaguchi in the first game, but ultimately handed Yamaguchi a defeat, winning 23-21, 21-14.

"Because it’s a big contest, I felt pressure. The reason why the score was so close in the first game was because I made a few mistakes," Li said.

"She’s improved very quickly," Li said of the 17-year-old Yamaguchi, who she has played three times in total. "Generally speaking, the young Japanese players pose a challenge to China."

Yamaguchi said Li handled the pressure of the match better and the Japanese coach Park Joo-bong said although China remain a very strong team,  his players are also getting better.

Because it’s a big contest, I felt pressure. The reason why the score was so close in the first game was because I made a few mistakes
Li Xuerui, China women's player

"Today we lost 3-0 because China is a strong team, they have always been a very strong team. In the last two or three years, our players are getting a bit  closer," former South Korean international Park said.

China’s Fu Haifeng and Zhang Nan also contributed to the nation’s 10th win at the Sudirman Cup, which was first held in 1989, winning 21-17, 20-22, 21-17 in a tight men’s doubles against Hiroyuki Endo and Kenichi Hayakawa.

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