Sudirman Cup Results 2015: Final Score from China vs. Japan
China cruised to a sixth consecutive Sudirman Cup win on Sunday, beating Japan 3-0 in the 2015 edition of the team badminton tournament to win their 10th overall crown.
France24 shared the news:
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The heavy favourites were dominant throughout the tournament, and while the inexperienced Japanese team put up a good fight in the final, fatigue played a major role in the outcome of the match.
Japan completed their 3-2 semi-final win over South Korea well past midnight, and it was clear from the opening match that China simply had the fresher legs. That shouldn't take anything away from China's big win, however―there's a reason the team has dominated this tournament in recent years. They're simply too good.
Indonesian politician Gita Wirjawan was one of many to congratulate the Asian giants on their title:
Fu Haifeng and Zhang Nan needed three games to get past Hiroyuki Endo and Kenichi Hayakawa in the first match of the final, the men's doubles, with the final score reading 21-17, 20-22 and 21-17.
That match produced the highlight of the day and one of the best rallies you'll see all season:
World No.1 Li Xuerui easily beat teenage sensation Akane Yamaguchi 23-21, 21-14 in the women's singles event, and with the men's singles up next, just about everyone knew the match was over.
Badminton legend and two-time Olympic gold medalist Lin Dan comfortably took care of Takuma Ueda 21-15, 21-13, needing less than 50 minutes to give his team the gold.
As the AFP reported (for the Times of India), Dan confessed he felt some pressure to perform before shocking the crowd by stating the first game was “close”: “Because it's a big contest, I felt pressure. The reason why the score was so close in the first game was because I made a few mistakes.”
China's 10th win in the Sudirman Cup, a tournament that has only been around since 1989, was one of the team's most dominant showings in recent history. But the giants of badminton learned during this edition that perhaps their neighbours are starting to catch up.
Japan's run to the final was highly unlikely given the young age of the team, and their mixed doubles pair was arguably the most dominant of the entire event. With a slightly different schedule and a bit more luck in the first match of the day, the final could have been a lot closer.
Indonesia and South Korea also made strong impressions at this year's Sudirman Cup, with the former only losing their lead against China because Bellaetrix Manuputty was forced to abandon her match due to injury.
Neutral fans of the sport can only encourage those latest developments. Watching the likes of Lin Dan dominate the opposition is a thing of beauty, but more parity and excitement will help the overall growth of badminton on a global scale.
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