The 2024 BWF China Masters, the final 750 event leading up to the year-end Finals, concluded on Sunday at the Shenzhen Sports Center. Over 200 players from more than 20 countries and regions gathered for this prestigious tournament, marking a pivotal moment in the race to the year-end finals.
In an electrifying mixed doubles final, China’s Feng Yanzhe and Huang Dongping overcame a challenging start to defeat Malaysia’s Hoo Pang Ron and Cheng Su Yin 2-1, claiming their sixth title of the season and extending their winning streak to 19 matches. Reflecting on their hard-fought victory, Huang said, “Although we lost the first game, we managed to catch up after falling significantly behind. Feng and I kept encouraging each other, reminding one another to believe in ourselves and trust each other.”
The women’s singles title was clinched by South Korea’s Olympic champion An Se-young, who defeated China’s Gao Fangjie in a thrilling match. Gao acknowledged the outcome, stating, “Before the match, I did a lot of preparation, but my performance on the court didn’t go as well as I had hoped. This match allowed me to see the gap between us, giving me greater motivation to improve.”
Chinese women’s doubles pair Liu Shengshu and Tan Ning triumphed over compatriots Li Yijing and Luo Xumin with a 2-0 victory. Celebrating their success, Tan shared, “This match wasn’t easy because we are quite familiar with each other. However, we were probably better prepared. Last year, it was the Japanese women’s doubles pairs who faced off in the final. This year, both of our Chinese pairs were determined to excel and didn’t want to miss out on the gold medal on home soil.”
As the badminton world turns its attention to the BWF World Tour Finals in Hangzhou next month, Chinese players who have secured their spots will be striving for top results. Fresh off hosting the 2024 China Masters, the newly renovated Shenzhen Sports Center is set to play a key role in the 15th National Games, just a year away in 2025.
Reference(s):
cgtn.com
