Badminton: Chinese shuttlers reach three finals in Thailand Open
Bangkok, May 16
The Chinese badminton team secured berths in three finals at the Thailand Open 2026 on Saturday, with Chen Yufei, Bao Lijing/Cao Zihan, and Zhu Yijun/Li Qian advancing to the women's singles, women's doubles, and mixed doubles finals, respectively.
In the women's doubles semifinals, Chinese pair Bao Lijing and Cao Zihan defeated Chinese Taipei's Hu Ling-fang and Jheng Yu-chieh, 21-18, 21-17, in just 40 minutes. The young pair will face the Japanese pair Rin Iwanaga/Kie Nakanishi in the title decider.
Defending champion Chen Yufei sealed a straight-games win over Japan's Hina Akechi to advance to the women's singles final and will compete for the championship against her long-time rival, Akane Yamaguchi of Japan.
China's mixed doubles shuttlers Cheng Xing and Zhang Chi suffered a narrow 2-1 defeat against Denmark's Mathias Christiansen and Alexandra Boje after an 84-minute gruelling battle. Meanwhile, fellow Chinese pair Zhu Yijun and Li Qian held their nerve to beat Thailand's Dechapol Puavaranukroh and Supissara Paewsampran 2-1, setting up a final clash against the Danish combination.
In the men's singles, Chinese shuttler Shi Yuqi withdrew before the semifinal, handing a walkover victory to Denmark's Anders Antonsen. The final will see Antonsen take on Thailand's Kunlavut Vitidsarn.
The men's doubles saw Leo Rolly Carnando and Daniel Marthin of Indonesia defeat China's He Jiting and Ren Xiangyu 21-15, 21-18. In the final, they will play India's Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty.
The Indian doubles pair reached its first final of the 2026 season after defeating Malaysia's Goh Sze Fei and Nur Izzuddin in a thrilling semifinal. The world No. 4 Indian duo, seeded first in the tournament, won a gripping match 19-21, 22-20, 21-16. The contest lasted one hour and 22 minutes, extending their head-to-head record against the Malaysians to 8-2.
— IANS
Reader Comments
Great performance by our Indian duo! But I have to say, Chen Yufei vs Akane Yamaguchi in the final will be a treat to watch. Chinese shuttlers are really dominating in women's events. No surprises there.
India's very own Satwik-Chirag! 🇮🇳 That 8-2 head-to-head against the Malaysian pair shows their class. Let's hope they can bring home the title. The Indonesians are tough opponents though.
It's good to see Satwik and Chirag finally finding their rhythm. But I feel Indian singles players need to step up. Shi Yuqi's withdrawal is disappointing for fans. Antonsen vs Vitidsarn should be a good match though.
China is a badminton powerhouse, no doubt. But our boys have shown that Indian doubles is on the rise! That semifinal win against the Malaysians was pure grit. 👏👏
Chen Yufei vs Akane Yamaguchi in the final again! Those two always produce classics. But I'm more excited for our Indian pair. Hope they can beat the Indonesians and win their first title of the season! 🏆
Satwik-Chirag are world number
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