Unstoppable: China dominate South Korea to win Uber Cup for the 14th time
The Chinese badminton women’s team brush aside rivals 3-1 in the final in Kushan, boosting their confidence ahead of the Rio Olympics
Olympic champion Li Xuerui led the Chinese national squad to victory over South Korea at the Uber Cup final in China Saturday, securing the country’s 14th world badminton team championship title in dominant fashion.
China rarely surrendered command over the court during its 3-1 triumph in front of a packed home crowd in the eastern city of Kunshan, near Shanghai.
Every step in the team match is one step for myself
Li, the world number three, brushed off an early deficit after dropping the first game to seventh-ranked Sung Ji-hyun.
The Olympic gold medallist rallied back for the win by controlling the pace and keeping the South Korean out of sync with repeated drop shots in the 14-21, 21-13, 21-10 victory.
“Every step in the team match is one step for myself,” Li told a news conference after the match, adding she planned to celebrate “quietly” after the week-long tournament.
Sixth-ranked doubles team Jung Kyung-eun and Shin Seung-chan from South Korea prevented a whitewash, powering through a 16-21, 21-17, 25-23 scrap against the world number four China duo of Tian Qing and Zhao Yunlei that clocked in at 94 minutes.