Shenzhen: In Shenzhen, the China badminton team asserted its dominance at the China Masters by securing three titles. The mixed doubles pair Zheng Siwei/Huang Yaqiong, Olympic champion Chen Yufei, and the men’s doubles duo Liang Weikeng/Wang Chang all emerged victorious.
In an impressive performance, Zheng Siwei/Huang Yaqiong clinched the mixed doubles title by defeating South Korea’s reigning world champions Seo Seung Jae/Chae Yu Jung with a scoreline of 21-10, 21-11 in the final.
Highlights of Zheng Siwei/Huang Yaqiong vs. Seo Seung Jae/Chae Yu Jung in the 2023 China Masters final:
This marks the 15th encounter between the two teams, with Zheng/Huang securing victory for the 13th time. Notably, it’s the 8th face-off this year, and Zheng/Huang have emerged victorious in 6 out of these encounters, including the last 4 meetings.
Following this triumph, Zheng Siwei/Huang Yaqiong contribute to China’s consistent success in winning the mixed doubles championship in every Masters tournament since its initiation in 2005.
This victory at the China Masters adds to Zheng/Huang’s previous win in 2018. Impressively, this also marks their sixth championship together this year.
In the women’s singles, the 5th-ranked player globally, Chen Yufei, and the 8th-ranked player, Han Yue, met for the sixth time in the final. Chen Yufei faced an initial setback, losing 18-21 in the first game, but rallied back with a dominating 21-4 win in the second. However, before the decisive game could commence, Han Yue opted to withdraw due to physical discomfort.
Chen Yufei, the defending champion, secured the title in 2019 (with cancellations in 2020, 2021, and 2022 due to the COVID-19 epidemic). She joined Liu Xin as the second women’s singles player to successfully defend the China Masters, a feat Liu Xin achieved in 2013 and 2014. This victory marked Chen Yufei’s fifth championship this year.
In the men’s doubles final, China’s world’s top-ranked duo, Liang Weikeng/Wang Chang, went head-to-head with India’s world’s fifth-ranked pair, Satwiksairaj Rankireddy/Chirag Shetty. In a thrilling contest, Liang/Wang emerged victorious with a 21-19, 18-21, 21-19 scoreline—the sole final on Sunday that extended to three games.
Securing the championship on home turf marked Liang/Wang’s fifth title in 2023.
The all-Japanese men’s singles final showcased a clash between Kodai Naraoka (world No. 5) and Kenta Nishimoto (world No. 13). Naraoka dominated, claiming a 21-13, 21-13 victory in their inaugural encounter and securing his first championship of the year before the close of the 2023 season. This triumph also marked his second BWF World Tour title, following his win at the Vietnam Super 100 last October.
In the women’s doubles final, another all-Japanese showdown unfolded as the fifth-ranked Nami Matsuyama/Chiharu Shida defeated the fourth-ranked Yuki Fukushima/Sayaka Hirota with a convincing 21-18, 21-11 score. This victory prevented the latter from defending the title they claimed in 2019.
