For the first time since 2011, a Chinese clean sweep of gold medals is a real possibility at the BWF World Championships with the badminton powerhouses fielding one finalist in all five categories of the finals at Adidas Arena in Paris on Sunday.
Here’s a look-ahead to the five title clashes and potentially, who can stop China’s domination.
Mixed doubles: Chen Tang Jie/Toh Ee Wei [4] vs Jian Zhen Bang/Wei Ya Xin [2]
Malaysia’s Chen & Toh have made history by becoming the first ever mixed doubles pair from the country to reach final, ending India’s hopes of a first medal in this country along the way, when they beat Tanisha Crasto-Dhruv Kapila in the quarterfinals. Up against the world No 4 is the world No 2 pair from China in Jian-Wei, who’d be hoping to fill the big boots of the now-retired Zheng Si Wei and Huang Ya Qiong. The Head-to-Head is 3-1 in favour of the Chinese.
Women’s singles: Akane Yamaguchi [5] vs Chen Yufei [4]
Probably the most anticipated final of the day sees two-time champion Yamaguchi take on Tokyo Olympic champion Chen. Yamaguchi will be gunning for a record-equalling third gold medal to join Carolina Marin, while Chen seeks her first. The Chinese star ended world No 1 An Seyoung’s world title defence. Olympic champion An was on the verge of tears after she lost 21-15 21-17 to fourth seed Chen in striaght games. It’s a clash of shuttlers from the golden generation of women’s singles in what is truly An Seyoung’s era. The two players have met a whopping 34 times over the years, with Yamaguchi leading 21-13 in the Head-to-Head.
Women’s doubles: Pearly Tan / Thinaah Muralitharan [2] vs Liu Sheng Shu/Tan Ning [1]
In the only final between the top two seeds, Liu/Tan – the outright favourites in women’s doubles – will face one of the most loved pairs on the circuit in Malaysia’s Tan/Thinaah. The latter created history for Malaysia by becoming the first ever women’s doubles pair to reach the final of the Worlds, but will have their task cut out against the marauding Liu/Tan, who hold a 9-3 edge in the Head-to-Head record.
Men’s singles: Kunlavut Vitidsarn [3] vs Shi Yu Qi [1]
Thailand’s history-maker Vitidsarn has been in sensational form in the major events, making it to his third straight World Championships final to go with the Paris 2024 final between all that. The 2023 champion, however, will have to conjure up his best against the world No 1 Shi who is seeking the elusive Worlds gold medal. Shi saved two match points to reach the men’s final against nseeded 20-year-old Victor Lai from Canada. The world No 50 sensationally took the first game and was on the brink of one of the biggest upsets in the tournament’s history but Shi fought back to win 13-21 22-20 21-16, leaving the Canadian with a bronze medal, the North American nation’s first in the sport. Shi, runner-up in 2018, will bid for his first world title when he faces Vitidsarn in Sunday’s final after the Thai third seed eased past Dane second seed Anders Antonsen 21-17 21-15. Shi leads Vitidsarn 5-3 from the past 8 meetings.
Men’s doubles: Seo Seungjae/Kim Won Ho [1] vs Chen Bo Yang/Liu Yi [11]
This could have been India’s shot at glory in Paris on Sunday but Chen and Liu had other ideas as they overcame Satwik-Chirag in the semifinals late on Saturday night to set up a title showdown with the undoubted best pair in the world. Kim/Seo, reunited only this year, have been near unstoppable on tour, winning three out of the four Super 1000 titles and zooming through the rankings to be world No 1. The left-handed Seo is arguably the best male shuttler in the world right now, and he will be seeking back-to-back titles having won the gold in 2023 with Kang Minh Hyuk. Seo/Kim lead 1-0 in the Head-to-Head. Perhaps, on paper, this is the safest bet for a non-Chinese title on Sunday.
