HORSENS, Denmark (Xinhua): The Asians are still the masters of the game when it comes to badminton.
Defending champion China overcame a strong challenge from France to secure a 3-1 victory and reclaim the Thomas Cup title on Sunday.
It marked the 12th time China has lifted the trophy since 1982, while France achieved its best-ever result in the tournament.
World champion Shi Yuqi gave China an early lead, edging Christo Popov 21-16, 16-21, 21-17 in an 85-minute battle.
Shi said he had to recover from early deficits in all three games and remained focused on adjusting his tactics.
"I was behind in all three games and tried to calm myself down to find the right way to play my opponent," said Shi, who missed the last two group matches due to acute gastroenteritis. "I kept telling myself to stay clear-minded, patient and consistent under my current physical condition."
Popov, ranked world No. 4, admitted he missed his chances late on.
"Shi was very sharp and solid at the end, and I made a few mistakes. I feel like I just missed the opportunity," said the 24-year-old. "The first match is always very important for confidence and for the team."
World No. 10 Alex Lanier leveled the tie at 1-1 by defeating China's Li Shifeng 21-13, 21-10 in 43 minutes.
"I was extremely consistent today, and that made the difference, especially by limiting mistakes and sticking to the right game plan," said Lanier, 21. "I woke up with strong motivation this morning and the desire to give everything for the team. I felt confident on court and played one of my best matches."
"I tried to be patient but made too many mistakes. I felt sorry that I couldn't secure the second point for my team," Li said.
In a 96-minute third-match battle, world No. 15 Weng Hongyang edged Toma Junior Popov 22-20, 20-22, 21-19 to put China 2-1 ahead.
"Before the match, I knew it would be very tough. The opponents came through strong matches all the way to the final, so I just tried to prepare myself for a difficult battle," said Weng, 26.
"This match could be one of the longest I have ever played. It was very valuable for me mentally. Whether I was leading or trailing, there were a lot of long, tight rallies. When I was leading, I made quite a few mistakes, but when I was behind, I actually felt a bit more relaxed," he added.
He Jiting and Ren Xiangyu then sealed the victory by defeating Eloi Adam and Leo Rossi 21-13, 21-16 in the doubles, securing the decisive point for China.
Meanwhile, in an earlier match, South Korea claimed the Uber Cup title on Sunday, defeating defending champion China 3-1 in the final to secure its third crown after triumphs in 2010 and 2022.
In the opening singles, a showdown between the world's top two players, world No. 1 An Se-young dominated Wang Zhiyi 21-10, 21-13 in 47 minutes.
"I was very excited to win the first point for my team and really enjoyed the match," said An, 24.
Wang acknowledged that An was superior on the day. "I lost energy during the long rallies and made more errors. It was my first time playing as first singles, and I felt more pressure and responsibility for the team," she said.
Liu Shengshu and Tan Ning leveled the tie with a 21-15, 21-12 win over Jeong Na-eun and Lee So-hee in the first doubles.
"There were some changes in our opponents' lineup, which was a bit unexpected," Liu said. "But our approach is always simple - focus on our own game. No matter how the opponents change, we stay the same."
China's Olympic champion Chen Yufei then fell 21-19, 21-15 to world No. 17 Kim Ga-eun in the second singles. Kim admitted she had ridden an emotional roller coaster.
"At times I probably looked a bit down, and I know that was tough not only for me but also for people watching. It was frustrating," Kim, 28, said. "But now I'm really glad that I can smile again. When I started having too many negative thoughts, it felt like I was just going deeper and deeper. So I told myself to let it go, reset, and try again with a clearer mindset. That helped me focus better coming into today's match."
Chen said her pace dropped after taking the lead and that she began to doubt her attacking game.
"After a couple of errors on attack, I started to hesitate. Once I hesitated, my shots were no longer as threatening, which gave my opponent more confidence," she said.
In the fourth match, Jia Yifan and Zhang Shuxian took the opening game 21-16, but the newly formed pair of Baek Ha-na and Kim Hye-jeong responded strongly, winning the next two 21-10, 21-13 to seal the victory for South Korea. -- Reports from Xinhua
