Badminton Asia Mixed Team Championships 2023: People's Republic of China retain title

The People's Republic of China defeated Republic of Korea 3-1 in Dubai to retain their Badminton Asia Mixed Team title on Sunday (19 February).

Women's doubles pairing Liu Shengshu and Tan Ning secured the decisive point as a Chinese line-up missing the majority of their top players came out on top.

After narrow 3-2 wins over Malaysia and India in the quarter-finals and semi-finals, China made slightly easier work of South Korea in the final.

Lei Lanxi backed up his shock win over world number nine HS Prannoy by beating Lee Yun-gyu to take the opening rubber.

Lee led 10-6 in the first game, but Lei - ranked 121 in the world - won the last six points from seven to take it 21-16.

The Chinese then secured four consecutive points in game two to hold an 11-7 advantage at the interval, and stayed clear to seal a 21-16, 21-15 victory.

Gao Fangjie took another big scalp to double China's lead, defeating Kim Ga-eun 21-15, 21-15.

Having scored a win over the Korean in the round-robin and a third consecutive victory over 2019 world champion PV Sindhu on Saturday, world number 101 Gao won the opening five points before Kim levelled at 8-8.

But Gao won the next six points either side of the interval before settling the first game 21-15.

Gao took a narrow 11-10 lead into the break in game two before winning the next four points for a commanding lead. And Kim could not come back as China went 2-0 up.

In the men's doubles, China moved closer to glory as He Jiting and Zhou Haodong came from 17-15 down to take the first game 21-19 against Kim Won-ho and Na Sung-seung.

Back came the Koreans, taking six consecutive points either side of the interval to go 13-5 ahead before closing out the second game 21-16.

And in a decider where the lead changed hands several times, Kim and Na won four of the last four points to take the match 19-21, 21-16, 21-17 and keep Korean hopes alive.

Liu and Tan raced into a 6-1 lead over Korea's Jeong Na-eun and Lee So-hee in the women's doubles.

That became 11-7 at the interval, and the Chinese reeled off the next four points before closing out the first game 21-11.

Jeong and Lee, a former world number two and Olympic semi-finalist in doubles, made a fast start in game two to go 5-1 ahead. But they were soon reeled in by Liu and Tan who won five points in succession to again go into the break 11-7 up.

A run of five unanswered points put the Chinese women into an almost unassailable 17-9 advantage, and they sealed the title with a 21-11, 21-10 victory without requiring the services of star mixed doubles pair Feng Yanzhe and Huang Dongping.

Having won this title with a squad lacking most of their big names, China look very much the team to beat when they host the Sudirman Cup in Suzhou later this year.

Badminton Asia Mixed Team Championships 2023: Final results

PR China 3-1 Republic of Korea (China first):

Men's singles: Lei Lanxi def. Lee Yun-gyu 21-16, 21-15.

Women's singles: Gao Fangjie def. Kim Ga-eun 21-15, 21-15.

Men's doubles: He Jiting/Zhou Haodong lost to Kim Won-ho/Na Sung-seung 21-19, 16-21, 17-21.

Women's doubles: Liu Shengshu/Tan Ning def. Jong Na-eun/Lee So-hee 21-11, 21-10.