Badminton World Federation Finals: “IELTS combination” wins hard-fought victory and Chen Yufei advances ahead of schedule
The 2023 BWF World Tour Finals saw intense competition as the second round of group stage matches concluded on the 14th. The Chinese badminton mixed doubles pair, Zheng Siwei/Huang Yaqiong, also known as the “IELTS combination” and ranked No. 1 in the world, fought hard for three games and emerged victorious against the Korean combination Kim Won-ho/Zheng Na-yin with a score of 2:1.
Additionally, Olympic champion and national badminton women’s singles player, Chen Yufei, secured her place in the knockout rounds in advance after easily defeating American player Beiwen Zhang and winning two consecutive group stage matches.
Despite Kim Won-ho/Jung Na-eun being ranked lower than the “IELTS combination,” they had previously held the upper hand with 2 wins and 1 loss. Although the Chinese pair lost the first game at 18:21, they recovered and won the next two games at 27:25 and 21:15.
After the match, Zheng Siwei expressed his disappointment about losing points at the end of the second game but highlighted their ability to recover and capitalize on their opponents’ mistakes.
In the women’s singles category, Chen Yufei emerged victorious against Zhang Beiwen with scores of 21:13, 21:15. Shi Yuqi, the “big brother” of the national badminton men’s singles, suffered his first defeat in the group stage against Indonesian star Ginting, and another national badminton men’s singles player, Li Shifeng, won against Thailand’s Kunlavutt.
As the second round concluded, the qualifying situation of some groups became clear. Chien Yufei, Zheng Siwei/Huang Yaqiong, and South Korean mixed doubles pair Seo Seung Jae/Cai Yujing all secured early advancement to the next stage. Similarly, Chen Qingchen/Jia Yifan, the top players in the national badminton women’s doubles, also secured early qualification due to their opponents retiring due to injury.
The finals will continue with the final round of group matches on the 15th, followed by the drawing of knockout matches immediately after all games.