The host Chinese team beat Egypt 5-0 in the first round of the group stage, starting the defending journey
Published Date – Mon, 15 May 23 at 06:30 AM
Photo: IANS
Suzhou: Hosts China kicked off their title defense by beating Egypt 5-0 in the first round of the 2023 Sudirman Cup badminton group stage on Sunday.
The mixed doubles pair Feng Yanzhe/Huang Dongping played the best, sweeping Ahmed Salah/Hana Tarek Zaher 21-3, 21-8 to win the first match for China.
“They didn’t cause us too much difficulty, so on the court, we just focused on ourselves and tried to find some form and feeling,” Huang said.
World champion Shi Yuqi doubled his men’s singles lead by beating Adham Hatem Elgamal 21-11, 21-13 before in-form Chen Yufei conceded just five points in straight sets against Rahma Mohamed Saad Eladawy for China. Lock the win.
“It’s a bit of a pressure today because I definitely want to perform more at home than abroad,” Shi told Xinhua after the victory.
“The game was tense at the beginning, but then I relaxed a little bit and found his weakness and then I got better,” he added.
In men’s doubles, Liu Yuchen/Ou Xuanyi beat Kareem Ezzat and Mahmoud Montaser 21-6, 21-7, followed by a masterclass match by Zhang Shuxian/Zheng Yu, 21-2, 21-4 in women’s doubles Got Nour Ahmed Youssri and Dohani.
A total of 16 teams participated in the competition, and China was in Group A with Denmark, Singapore and Egypt. The hosts face Singapore on Tuesday.
In the other Group A match, Denmark beat Singapore 4-1, with Olympic champion Victor Axelsen 21-23, 21-13, 21-16 in a 59-minute thriller. Luo Jianyao.
“It’s definitely not easy to play here, there’s a lot of pressure. Loh Kean Yew is a fantastic athlete, so it’s been a great experience for me to play against him here, it’s been a great game and very intense. battle,” Axelsen said.
Also on Sunday, Malaysia beat Australia 5-0 in Group C. In Group D, four-time champions South Korea comfortably beat France 4-1 and Japan beat England 5-0.
