The Uber Cup final took place today, pitting defending champions China against South Korea. This marked the first meeting between the two teams in four years, following China’s 2-3 loss to South Korea in the 2022 final.
The lineup for the match was as follows:
In the first singles match, world No. 1 An Se-young faced world No. 2 Wang Zhiyi. An held a dominant 19-5 head-to-head record over Wang. Although Wang ended a ten-match losing streak at the All England Open in March, An defeated her to win the Asian Championships in April. An quickly took a 7-1 lead in the first game, winning 21-10. She maintained control in the second game, opening 5-0 and sealing a 21-13 victory, giving South Korea a 1-0 lead.
In the first doubles, world No. 1 pair Liu Shengshu and Tan Ning faced South Korea’s Jeong Na-eun and Lee So-hee. The Chinese duo dominated from the start, winning 21-15 and 21-12 to level the score at 1-1.
Next came second singles, with Chen Yufei taking on Kim Ga-eun. Chen had a strong 8-1 record against Kim, but the match proved challenging. Chen jumped to a 15-8 lead in the first game, but Kim rallied with a 12-1 run. Although Chen saved three game points, Kim won the first game 21-19. In the second game, the score was tied at 15-15 before Kim won six straight points to take the match 2-0, putting South Korea ahead 2-1.
In the second doubles, Jia Yifan and Zhang Shuxian won the first game but lost the following two games, leading to a 1-3 overall defeat for China. South Korea reclaimed the Uber Cup after four years, while China failed to defend its title.
