2023 BWF Sudirman Cup Finals: Day 1 - Chinese Taipei and Denmark score vital opening wins in Suzhou

Chinese Taipei beat India 4-1 in the top match on Day 1 of the 2023 BWF Sudirman Cup Finals in Suzhou on Sunday (14 May).

It means India must beat Malaysia on Monday to have any chance of reaching the quarter-finals of the badminton mixed team World Championships in the People's Republic of China.

Yang Po-Hsuan and Hu Ling Fang dropped the opening game against K Sai Pratheek and Tanisha Crasto and squandered eight game points before eventually taking the second 26-24.

But they fairly cruised to victory after that, taking the decider 21-6 to put Chinese Taipei on the board.

Then came the men's singles where HS Prannoy took an 11-8 lead into the first interval against Chou Tien Chen.

But Chou quickly upped his game to run out a ready 21-19, 21-15 winner and leave Chinese Taipei on the brink of victory.

Double Olympic medallist PV Sindhu had to beat Tai Tzu Ying to keep India alive, and she took the rubber into a decider after Tai had won the opening game.

But the Tokyo 2020 silver medallist was too strong in the end, winning 21-14, 18-21, 21-17 to leave India with an uphill struggle to make the knockout stages.

After Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty had been edged out by Olympic gold medallist Lee Yang and Ye Hong Wei in the men's doubles, Treesa Jolly and Gayatri Gopichand Pullela finally won a rubber for India in the women's doubles against Lee Chia Hsin and Teng Chun Hsun.

Malaysia eased past Australia 5-0 with Lee Zii Jia sweeping aside Ricky Tang 21-3, 21-13 in just 25 minutes.

• 2023 BWF Sudirman Cup Finals: All results, scores and standings - full list

2023 BWF Sudirman Cup Finals: Axelsen leads Denmark to crucial win over Singapore

In Group A, Viktor Axelsen came from a game down against Loh Kean Yew to help Denmark get the better of Singapore 4-1 and all but book their place in the quarter-finals.

Axelsen led 20-16 but 2021 world champion Loh saved five game points before taking the opening game 23-21.

The reigning world and Olympic champion took the second game comfortably but trailed 11-8 at the changeover in the decider.

The Dane then roared back, winning six points in a row to take control before closing out victory 21-23, 21-13, 21-16.

That gave Denmark a 2-0 lead, and Mia Blichfeldt secured the tie with a 21-10, 21-15 win over Yeo Jia Min.

Singapore are left needing to pull off a huge upset against China on Tuesday after the hosts and reigning champions demolished Egypt 5-0.

Only Adham Hatem Elgamal made it to double figures as he went down 21-11, 21-13 to Shi Yuqi.

2023 BWF Sudirman Cup Finals: Japan and Republic of Korea looking good in Group D

Japan and the Republic of Korea stamped their authority on Group D with comfortable respective wins over England and France.

The Japanese dropped just one game on the day - in the closing women's doubles - although Yamashita Kyohei and Shinoya Naru had to save three game points against Marcus Ellis and Lauren Smith before taking the match 22-20, 21-7.

Christo Popov drew France level against South Korea as he won his men's singles rubber against Lee Yun Gyu 21-8, 21-18, but An Se Young defeated Qi Xuefei 21-17, 21-14 to put the Koreans in front.

And then Kang Min Hyuk and Seo Seung Jae edged out Lucas Corvee and Ronan Labar 21-19 in the third to seal victory for South Korea who also won the women's doubles to prevail 4-1.

2023 BWF Sudirman Cup Finals: Day 1 results

Group A

People's Republic of China 5-0 Egypt

1. XD: Feng Yanzhe/Huang Dongping def. Ahmed Salah/Hana tarek Zaher 21-3, 21-8
2. MS: Shi Yuqi def. Adham Hatem Elgamal 21-11, 21-13
3. WS: Chen Yufei def. Rahma Mohamed Saad Eladawy 21-2, 21-3
4. MD: Liu Yuchen/Ou Xuanyi def. Kareem Ezzat/Mahmoud Montaser 21-6, 21-7
5. WD: Zhang Shuxian/Zheng Yu def. Nour Ahmed Youssri/Doha Hany 21-2, 21-4

Denmark 4-1 Singapore

1. XD: Mathias Christiansen/Alexandra Bøje def. Hee Yong Kai Terry/Tan Wei Han Jessica 21-19, 21-18
2. MS: Viktor Axelsen def. Loh Kean Yew 21-23, 21-13, 21-16
3. WS: Mia Blichfeldt def. Yeo Jia Min 21-10, 21-15
4. MD: Kim Astrup/Anders Rasmussen def. Jun Liang Andy Kwek/Loh Kean Hean 21-13, 21-5
5. WD: Maiken Fruergaard/Sara Thygesen lost to Jin Yu Jia/Wong Jia Ying Crystal 18-21, 18-21

Group C

Chinese Taipei v India 4-1

1. XD: Yang Po-Hsuan/Hu Ling Fang def. Sai Pratheek K/Tanisha Crasto 18-21, 26-24, 21-6
2. MS: Chou Tien Chen def. HS Prannoy 21-19, 21-15
3. WS: Tai Tzu Ying def. PV Sindhu 21-14, 18-21, 21-17
4. MD: Lee Yang/Ye Hong Wei def. Satwiksairaj Rankireddy/Chirag Shetty 21-13, 17-21, 21-18
5. WD: Lee Chia Hsin/Teng Chun Hsun lost to Treesa Jolly/Gayatri Gopichand Pullela 21-15, 18-21, 13-21

Malaysia 5-0 Australia

1. XD: Goh Soon Huat/Lai Shevon Jemie def. Kenneth Choo/Gronya Somerville 21-17, 21-14
2. MS: Lee Zii Jia def. Ricky Tang 21-3, 21-13
3. WS: Karupathevan Letshanaa def. Tiffany Ho 21-19, 21-12
4. MD: Aaron Chia/Soh Wooi Yik def. Rayne Wang/Jack Yu 21-7, 21-14
5. WD: Tan Pearly/Thinaah Muralitharan def. Kaitlyn Ea/Gronya Somerville 21-12, 21-13

Group D

Republic of Korea 4-1 France

1. XD: Kim Won Ho/Jeong Na Eun def. Thom Gicquel/Delphine Delrue 21-18, 21-17
2. MS: Lee Yun Gyu lost to Christo Popov 8-21, 18-21
3. WS: An Se Young def. Qi Xuefei 21-7, 21-14
4. MD: Kang Min Hyuk/Seo Seung Jae def. Lucas Corvee/Ronan Labar 21-16, 18-21, 21-19
5. WD: Kim So Yeong/Kong Hee Yong def. Margot Lambert/Anne Tran 21-8, 21-16

Japan 5-0 England

1. XD: Yamashita Kyohei/Shinoya Naru def. Marcus Ellis/Lauren Smith 22-20, 21-7
2. MS: Tsuneyama Kanta def. Nadeem Dalvi 21-10, 21-7
3. WS: Saena Kawakami def. Lisa Curtin 21-4, 21-7
4. MD: Koga Akira/Saito Taichi def. Ben Lane/Sean Vendy 21-18, 21-15
5. WD: Matsumoto Maya/Nagahara Wakana def. Chloe Birch/Lauren Smith 21-17, 13-21, 21-11