Zheng Siwei (right) and Huang Yaqiong pose with the trophies on the podium in Bangkok on December 11, 2022. Photo: VCG

Chinese shuttlers won all three titles for doubles at the Badminton World Federation (BWF) World Tour Finals following the semifinals in Bangkok, Thailand on Sunday.

Mixed doubles world champions Zheng Siwei and Huang Yaqiong defeated home favorites Dechapol Puavaranukroh and Sapsiree Taerattanachai 21-19, 18-21, 21-13 and won the championship.

“In a way this was a perfect ending for us. But today it was tougher than we expected. Our opponents played well, especially in defense and they were very hard to kill. So we are very happy to end the season on a high,” Zheng was quoted as saying by Olympics.com.

“The first game we were always trailing but tried to keep the score close and reminded each other that we can do this,” he added.

“When we first stepped out on to the court, we could feel the atmosphere. We were very prepared for the tough conditions. But when we started playing, we could not hear the crowd. We were so focused all we could do was hear each other,” Huang said.

In women’s doubles, Chen Qingchen and Jia Yifan had a straight-set win 21-13, 21-14 over local duo Benyapa Aimsaard and Nuntakarn Aimsaard in the final.

“Being the favorites can be stressful and we try not to think it that way. We can’t get complacent and we try to be as neutral as possible in terms of our mindset. Our opponents played very well in the group stage and we were very impressed,” Chen was quoted as saying by Olympics.com after the match.

“Of course we want to do better with each this year. But rest is also important to us because there are many competitions coming up next year. Our mentality is to learn and live because that’s an endless cycle. We can’t stay where we are,” she added.

“We’re very happy to win the World Tour Finals again. It’s a perfect ending to the season. It’s perfect but not perfect because during the season we faced some difficulties but we made some corrections. And that’s how we could win today,” Jia said.

In the men’s doubles, China’s Liu Yuchen and Ou Xuanyi took down Indonesian Mohammad Ahsan and Hendra Setiawan in a three-set battle 21-17, 19-21, 21-12 and settled the victory. In their first year together, Liu and Ou have shot up from No.264 to No.11 in the world rankings and reached five finals, said Olympics.com.

“This is a good ending for us. We will prepare well for 2023. Our hard work has been rewarded. Winning titles was a result of the hard work,” Liu said after finishing the final competition.

“In the second game we were leading but we made so many mistakes and couldn’t adjust in time. In the third game, I thought we exercised good patience to win it,” Ou said.

In men’s singles, men’s badminton world No.1 Viktor Axelsen regained his mojo to claim his eighth title for 2022, steamrolling Indonesian ace Anthony Ginting, said AFP. Reigning world champion Akane Yamaguchi of Japan defeated Chinese Taipei’s powerhouse Tai Tzu Ying to claim the women’s singles crown.

The two Chinese women’s singles players – Chen Yufei and He Bingjiao – both suffered defeats against their group opponents, Akane Yamaguchi of Japan and Tai zu-ying of Chinese Taipei respectively on Saturday, said the Xinhua News Agency.

“There were side winds on that part of the court and I was a bit rushed when I jumped, so I didn’t hit the shuttle at the correct time and it went out of control,” Chen said after the match.