China sweep aside Indonesia for Uber Cup title
clinched their 16th Uber Cup title following a 3-0 win over three-time champions Indonesia in the final in Chengdu yesterday.
World No. 2 Chen Yu Fei earned their first point when she defeated Indonesia Gregoria Mariska Tunjung 21-7, 21-16 in 36 minutes.
Chen Qing Chen-Jia Yi Fan extended China’s lead with a 21-11, 21-8 victory over the Indonesian scratch pairing of Siti Fadia Silva Ramadhanti and Ribka Sugiarto.
In the third match, China’s second singles, He Bing Jiao, dug deep before edging 21-year-old Ester Nurumi Tri Wardoyo, 10-21, 21-15, 21-17 in 69 minutes to clinch the winning point.
It is China’s first Uber Cup triumph since the 2020 edition in Aarhus, Denmark.
Despite the loss, Indonesia can take heart from their achievement of reaching the final for the first time since the 2008 edition in Jakarta.
Bing Jiao felt proud to help the Chinese team regain their trophy after the heartbreaking 3-2 defeat to South Korea in the 2022 Bangkok edition.
“We experienced only failures after our last Uber Cup victory in 2020, so regaining the title today is special,” said Bing Jiao.
Yu Fei, on the other hand, said unity shared among the China players was the key to victory.
“We were together as a team and inspired each other from the first day of competition to seal this title.
“I was not too comfortable against Gregoria, but I was focused and composed to win a point for my team,” said Yu Fei.
Meanwhile, Ester Nurumi admitted she had lost to a better player.
“It is not easy against Bing Jiao because she is an experienced player. I had a strategy against her, but it did not work. Not our luck today,” she said.