Chinese women's badminton takes home Uber Cup for 16th time

The Chinese women's badminton team proved its collective strength and might in the game by lifting a record-extending 16th Uber Cup trophy on its home court on Sunday.

Led by reigning Olympic singles champion Chen Yufei's straight-set opening win over Gregoria Mariska Tunjung, the host team showed no mercy facing Indonesia in the final of the world women's team championship as it wrapped it up with a doubles win by Chen Qingchen and Jia Yifan and a second singles victory by He Bingjiao to retake the coveted title in Chengdu, Sichuan province.

Team China's successful Chengdu campaign has made up for its 2022 final loss to archrival South Korea, beaten by Indonesia in the semifinals, while serving as a huge confidence booster for the celebrated program ahead of the Paris Olympic Games.

Chen Yufei, the world No. 2 singles star, attributed the host's smooth sail to solid preparations and the strong bond and belief among each other within Team China.

"I did my preparations really well and it all paid off during the process of the matches," Chen Yufei said after thrashing Tunjung 21-7, 21-16 to get Team China off to a flying start.

"I will score my own 80 points during this tournament," said Chen Yufei, who didn't drop a set in all four matches she played during China's title run in Chengdu.

"I still had a couple of problems, though, that I will have to work on, and I didn't get to play all the strongest opponents this time. Overall, I am quite satisfied with my performances," said the 26-year-old, who's represented China at the Cup tournament for four editions since her debut in 2018.

Following the flying start, China's world No. 1 doubles pair Chen Qingchen and Jia Yifan produced an even more dominating 21-11, 21-8 rout of Indonesia's Siti Fadia Silva Ramadhanti and Ribka Sugiarto in 39 minutes to take a comfortable 2-0 lead in the best-of-five team final.

China's second-ranked singles player, He Bingjiao, overcame a first-set scare to defeat Ester Nurumi. Tri Wardoyo went 10-21, 21-15, and 21-17 in the third rubber to clinch the host's golden finish and send the rousing crowd at Chengdu's Hi-Tech Zone Sports Center into a frenzy.

"When we step on the court, we always believe in ourselves that we are the best," Chen Qingchen said of the team's surging confidence.