CHENGDU: China lived up to expectations as they bagged their 11th Thomas Cup titles by defeating 14-time champions, Indonesia, 3-1, in this edition’s final at the Chengdu High-Tech Zone Sports Centre, here, on Sunday (May 5).
This came just hours after China claimed their 16th Uber Cup title as they blew Indonesia away, 3-0, at the same venue.
World number two men’s singles shuttler, Shi Yu Qi drew first blood as he thumped Anthony Sinisuka Ginting, 21-17 in the first set, and was a class above the Indonesian in the second, marching to a 21-6 victory.
Buoyed by a convincing start from Yu Qi, world number one pair Liang Wei Keng-Wang Chang came out tops in a challenging 64-minute contest against 2024 All England champions Fajar Alfian-Muhammad Rian Ardianto, 21-18, 17-21, 21-17 to bolster the hosts’ lead.
However, Indonesia reduced the deficit as the in-form Jonatan Christie triumphed in a rigorous battle against the 2022 Asian Games men’s singles champion, Li Shi Feng, 21-16, 15-21, 21-17, to rekindle hope for his country.
Muhammad Shohibul Fikri-Bagas Maulana took to the court against He Ji Ting-Ren Xiang Yu in the second doubles hoping to beat the China pair and take the tie into a decider.
The Indonesians, however, fell short as the China pair won 21-11, 21-15, much to the delight of the packed partisan home crowd.
Speaking at the post-match press conference, Ji Ting said he was delighted to do his part in bringing the coveted Cup back to China after they last won it in 2018 in Bangkok.
Yu Qi, meanwhile, said he did not expect to win quite comfortably against Ginting in the opening match.
“The first game was challenging and I did not play as well as I hoped to. However, the support from the home fans and encouragement from my teammates boosted my confidence after I won the first game,” he said.
Meanwhile, Bagas, who was frustrated at not being able to win the fourth match and force the decider, vowed to come back stronger in the future.
