China grabbed third place in the conclusion of the Asian Badminton Mixed Team Championships in Vietnam on Sunday.
Show of force
The Chinese badminton team took the third spot after bowing out to Japan in the semifinals round, Xinhua reported. The Japanese shuttlers bested China 3-1 in the semi-final round to go up against South Korea in the finals.
China had an initial good start after routing Hong Kong for a 5-0 win during their first match in Group A. World junior women's singles champion Chen Yufei led the charge for the team during the opening. China easily gained four points from the men's doubles, women's doubles, and men's and women's singles categories.
The tandem of Li Junhui and Liu Yuchen needed only 28 minutes to lord it over Law Cheuk Him and Reginald Lee Chun Hei 21-16, 21-14 in the men's doubles. Yufei continued the streak w3ith a 21-11, 21-18 win against Yup Pui-Yin in the women's singles.
From there, China went on to dominate Malaysia in the quarterfinals 3-0. The duo of Zhang Nan and Chen Qinchen started the Chinese offensive by beating Goh Soon Huat and Shevon Jemie Lai 21-14, 21-9 in the men's doubles. Shi Yuqi continued the show of force in the men's singles before the round was capped by a win by the women's tandem of Li and Liu.
However, the Japanese team proved to be a strong opponent, halting China's campaign leaving them to settle for third alongside Thailand.
On to Singapore
Despite the loss, the Chinese team is looking forward to their participation in the OUE Singapore Open, Today Online reported. Star player Chen Long will be spearheading the team in the tournament. The 28-year old Rio Olympics champion is aiming to get a better result after his quarterfinals loss in the previous edition.
Aside from Chen, other members of the 23-member team are 2015 OUE women's singles champion Sun Yu and the world no. 1 mixed doubles tandem of Chen Qingchen and Zheng Siwei. Olympics gold medalist Zhang Nan is also set to participate in the men's doubles with new partner Liu Cheng.