Favorites Xiamen Tefang thrashed Zhejiang Jingti 3-0 to reach the final of the China Badminton Super League (CBSL) in Lingshui, south China’s Hainan Province on Sunday.
World champions Zheng Siwei/Huang Yaqiong took the first point for Xiamen in the mixed doubles by beating Huang Mengying/Shen Xuanyao in straight sets 11-7, 11-5, 11-5, before Wang Zhiyi doubled the lead with an 11-9, 11-7, 11-3 victory over Olympic champion Chen Yufei in the women’s singles.
Chen called a medical timeout due to a foot injury at 2-1 down in the third set, and the in-form Wang then seized the chance to take the match point for Xiamen.
“I used to always be in a hurry against Chen, but today, I adopted a learning attitude. I played more patiently and aggressively,” said Wang.
In the women’s doubles, world champions Chen Qingchen/Jia Yifan smashed Yu Yishan/Yang Xiaoyu 11-3, 11-4, 11-3 in just 21 minutes to secure Xiamen’s final spot.
Despite an easy semifinal win, Jia believed they should be more cautious in the final. “The final opponents will be evenly matched,” said Jia. “But I believe in our team.”
Xiamen will next meet either Ruichang Biyuan or Shenzhen Yuzhong, with the other semifinal to be played on Monday, followed by the final of the tournament on Tuesday.
This is the return of the tournament after a two-year hiatus, with the top four of regular season advancing to the playoffs staged from Sunday to Tuesday. ■
