Chen Yufei Photo: VCG
The Badminton Asia Championships 2025 concluded in Ningbo, East China's Zhejiang Province on Sunday with the Chinese badminton team delivering a strong performance across the board, securing two golds and three silver medals.
In women's singles, it was an all-Chinese final as Chen Yufei edged out Han Yue 2-1 to clinch the gold. While Chen has claimed numerous titles throughout her career, this marks her first-ever Asia Championships victory.
Speaking after her final win over Han, the seasoned Olympian rated her final an eight out of 10. "The biggest thing for me is that I stuck with it," Chen said. "I stopped wasting energy on overthinking. I just enjoyed giving everything I had."
Looking ahead to the Sudirman Cup, she said teammate Wang Zhiyi is in more stable form right now, and added that she was glad to see more strong players rising up in China's women's singles.
In the men's singles final, Lu Guangzu faced Thailand's Kunlavut Vitidsarn in such a fiercely contested match that Lu was forced to retire midway through the second set due to injury, handing the title to Kunlavut.
"Shi Yuqi, Li Shifeng, and Lu Guangzu each took turns leading the pack depending on the event. Their styles differ - Li focuses on speed, while Shi is more well-rounded and plays a deep baseline game, which works against European opponents. However, against fast, sharp Asian players, a bigger frame isn't always an advantage. These tactical decisions are clearly calculated within the team," Beijing-based sports commentator Wang Dazhao told the Global Times on Sunday.
In women's doubles, Liu Shengshu and Tan Ning defeated Japan's rising duo Nami Matsuyama and Chiharu Shida 2-0, who had upset reigning Olympic champions Chen Qingchen and Jia Yifan in the semifinals.
Wang pointed out that Japan's women's doubles teams, including Matsuyama and Shida, consistently reach the semifinals of major tournaments but struggle to go further in big-name games.
"They're definitely hungry for a gold. Still, China has deep reserves in women's doubles, with psychological and tactical advantages that continue to make a difference."
In men's doubles, the "100 percent" duo Chen Boyang and Liu Yi fell to Malaysia's top pair Aaron Chia and Soh Wooi Yik 0-2 to lose the title. Earlier they had already surprised spectators. The former highly-expected duo China's Liang Weikeng and Wang Chang was earlier defeated by Chia and Soh in straight sets in the semifinals.
The mixed doubles crown went to China's Hong Kong Special Administrative Region's Tang Chun-man and Tse Ying-suet, who overcame Japan's Daiki Midorikawa and Natsu Saito 2-1.
The 2025 Asian Championships have been widely viewed as a precursor to the upcoming Sudirman Cup, which was set to kick off on April 27 in Xiamen, East China's Fujian Province. Wang noted that while the level of global competition is distinct, Asian tournaments often present tougher match-ups.
"The results can be more volatile because how tightly contested some of these regional matches are."
China's women's doubles star Jia Yifan also commented on preparations for the mixed team championship.
"If the team needs us, we'll give it our all. Right now, maintaining top form is our priority," she noted, according to China News Service.
Looking ahead to the Sudirman Cup, Wang said China holds the most balanced squad across all categories.
"Indonesia and Malaysia show fluctuations in performance. Korea and Japan have strong events but lack overall consistency," he noted.
Wang further emphasized that badminton differs from some other sports events in that sweeping all titles isn't a must.
"Right now, many disciplines are still in a training and development phase. We're seeing young talent emerge, and even established pairs are being reshuffled to explore new possibilities," he said.
The Chinese Badminton Association had already announced its Sudirman Cup roster on Tuesday, with most of the 20 players from the five disciplines featured in the Asian Championships set to compete in Xiamen.
