China reach Thomas & Uber Cup quarters as group leaders

The Chinese men's and women's teams both reached the Thomas & Uber Cup quarter-finals as group leaders on Tuesday, defeating South Korea and India 3-2 and 5-0, respectively.

In the men's Thomas Cup, despite losing to South Korea in both of the pairs matches, China's singles players took three wins to make sure the hosts advance at the top of the group.

Facing South Korea's Jeon Hyeok-jin, world No. 2 Shi Yuqi lost the first game 21-14 but clawed back 21-17, 21-7 to put China ahead, but Kang Min-hyuk and Seo Seung-jae made it 1-1 by beating newly-crowned Asian champions Liang Weikeng and Wang Chang.

In-form Li Shifeng dominated Lee Yun-gyu in straight games before a second Chinese pair, Liu Yuchen and Ou Xuanyi, were stunned by Ki Dong-ju and Kim Won-ho 17-21, 21-17, 23-21 in a 66-minute thriller.

In the decider, Lu Guangzu took a resounding 21-10, 21-15 win over Woo Seung-hoon.

China and South Korea finished the preliminary round as top two in Group A.

In other fixtures on the men's side, world No. 1 Viktor Axelsen beat Malaysia's former Asian champion Lee Zii Jia 21-16, 24-22, to lead Denmark into the quarter-final as Group D leaders.

On the women's side, China swept India 5-0 within three hours to top Group A. They have not dropped a single game since the start of the tournament. Defending champions South Korea led Group D after crushing Denmark 5-0.

The championships, held in Chengdu, City southwest China's Sichuan Province, marks the 33rd edition of the Thomas Cup and the 30th edition of the Uber Cup, with each tournament featuring 16 teams in four groups and taking place from April 27 to May 5.

(With input from Xinhua)

(Cover: An inside view of the stadium at the Thomas & Uber Cup in Chengdu City, southwest China's Sichuan Province, April 30, 2024. /CFP)