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E-mail Xinhua, May 1, 2024
Shi Yuqi of China (L) reacts while competing against Jeon Hyeok Jin of South Korea the Group A match between China and South Korea at BWF Thomas Cup Finals in Chengdu, southwest China's Sichuan Province, April 30, 2024. (Xinhua/Jiang Hongjing)
The Chinese men's and women's teams defeated South Korea and India 3-2 and 5-0 respectively, reaching the Thomas and Uber Cup quarterfinals as group leaders here on Tuesday.
In the men's Thomas Cup, South Korean pairs defeated all of the Chinese duos, giving the host a huge scare, but Chinese singles players won the other three matches.
Facing South Korea's Jeon Hyeok-jin, world No. 2 Shi Yuqi lost the first game 21-14 but clawed back 21-17, 21-7 to put China ahead, but Kang Min-hyuk and Seo Seung-jae made it 1-1 by beating newly-crowned Asian champions Liang Weikeng and Wang Chang.
In-form Li Shifeng dominated Lee Yun-gyu in straight games before Liu Yuchen and Ou Xuanyi were stunned by Ki Dong-ju and Kim Won-ho 17-21, 21-17, 23-21 in a 66-minute thriller.
In the decider, Lu Guangzu took a resounding 21-10, 21-15 win over Woo Seung-hoon, sealing the first place in Group A for the host.
"We still need to summarize, and in the knockout stage, I hope we will be better," said Li.
Behind China, South Korea finished second in Group A and also secured a last-eight berth.
Also on Tuesday, world No. 1 Viktor Axelsen beat former Asian champion Lee Zii Jia 21-16, 24-22, leading Denmark to defeat Malaysia and take a quarterfinal spot as group leader.
On the women's side, Olympic champion Chen Yufei spearheaded the action as China swept India 5-0 within three hours.
The host tops Group A without dropping a single game.
Defending champion South Korea leads Group D after crushing Denmark 5-0.
The championships, held in Chengdu, southwest China's Sichuan Province, marked the 33rd edition of the Thomas Cup and the 30th edition of the Uber Cup, with each tournament featuring 16 teams in four groups and taking place from April 27 to May 5.
Wednesday will see the final result of the group stage and the knockout clash will kick off on Thursday.
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