China's Sudirman Cup domination ended by South Korea
CULTURE
By Wang Lei

2017-05-28 23:27 GMT+8

8482km to Beijing

Ten-time champion China lost to South Korea 2-3 in the final of the Sudirman Cup on Australia's Gold Coast on Sunday.

The Sudirman Cup is the World Mixed Team Championship, held every two years, and one of the most prestigious titles in the sport. China won the previous six titles in a row after beating South Korea in 2003.

In Sunday's final, China's Fu Haifeng and Zhang Nan won over South Korea's Choi Sol-gyu and Seo Seung-jae in the opening men's doubles match. However, Chinese lefthander He Bingjiao was defeated by her South Korean opponent Sung Ji-hyun in the women's singles match.

China's Chen Long in the Sudirman Cup final. /VCG Photo

Olympic and world champion Chen Long easily overcame the resistance of Jeon Hyeok-jin in the men's singles match, putting China 2-1 up.

However, Chinese women's doubles pair Chen Qingchen and Jia Yifan and mixed doubles pair Lu Kai and Huang Yaqiong lost against their South Korean counterparts respectively, handing the final victory to South Korea.

Despite the defeat, Zhang Jun, coach of the doubles group of the Chinese badminton team, said the team had become more united after the experience during the tournament.

Xia Xuanze, coach of the singles group, praised the young players' "fighting spirit" on the court, stressing that the main goal of China's participation in the Sudirman Cup this year is to give young players valuable experience in a major tournament.

Team members of South Korea at the awarding ceremony of the Sudirman Cup 2017 in Gold Coast, Australia on May 28, 2017.  /Xinhua Photo

The next Sudirman Cup will be held in 2019 in Nanning in south China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region.

Xia and Zhang took over the Chinese badminton team from Head Coach Li Yongbo last month. The position of the head coach was canceled as Li stepped down after a 24-year coaching career for the badminton superpower.

With several veteran world champions losing steam or retiring, the mighty Chinese badminton team has encountered some difficulties in recent years. It only won two gold medals at the Rio Olympics last year, the worst result for Chinese badminton since 2000.

8482km

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