SUZHOU, China, May 14 (Xinhua) — Hosts China began their title protection by thrashing Egypt 5-0 within the first spherical of the group stage of badminton’s 2023 Sudirman Cup right here Sunday.
Mixed doubles pair Feng Yanzhe and Huang Dongping have been at their greatest as they swept Ahmed Salah and Hana Tarek Zaher 21-3, 21-8 to win the opening tie for China.
“They didn’t make it too difficult for us, so on the court, we just focused on ourselves and tried to find some form and feeling,” mentioned Huang.
World champion Shi Yuqi doubled the lead within the males’s singles by beating Adham Hatem Elgamal 21-11, 21-13, earlier than in-form Chen Yufei sealed the win for China with solely 5 factors misplaced in straight units in opposition to Rahma Mohamed Saad Eladawy.
“There was a bit of pressure today because I definitely wanted to perform more at home than abroad,” Shi informed Xinhua after the victory.
“The game was tight at the beginning, but later I was more relaxed and found his weaknesses, then I did better,” he added.
In the lads’s doubles, Liu Yuchen and Ou Xuanyi downed Kareem Ezzat and Mahmoud Montaser 21-6, 21-7, adopted by a masterclass from Zhang Shuxian and Zheng Yu as the ladies’s duo dominated 21-2, 21-4 in opposition to Nour Ahmed Youssri and Doha Hany.
There are 16 groups competing within the event, with China in Group A alongside Denmark, Singapore and Egypt. The hosts will face Singapore on Tuesday.
The different conflict in Group A noticed Denmark beat Singapore 4-1, with Olympic champion Viktor Axelsen rallying previous Loh Kean Yew 21-23, 21-13, 21-16 in a 59-minute thriller.
“It’s definitely not easy to play here, a lot of pressure. Loh Kean Yew is an amazing athlete, so to play against him here was a great experience for me and it was a great match and really intense battle,” mentioned Axelsen.
Also on Sunday, Chinese Taipei received their opener 4-1 in opposition to India, whereas Malaysia trounced Australia 5-0 in Group C. In Group D, four-time champions South Korea eased to a 4-1 win over France, and Japan hammered England 5-0.