PETALING JAYA: It’s not often you see Chinese players in tears but Jia Yifan could not hold hers back on Sunday.
The world No. 4 doubles shuttler and partner Zhang Shuxian went down fighting to Baek Ha-na-Kim Hye-jeong as that defeat saw the 16-time winners China fall 1-3 to South Korea in the Uber Cup final at Forum Horsens. The loss cut deep for the 28-year-old Yifan but she has vowed to come back stronger.
“At this stage of my career, I want to focus on perseverance. That’s something I want – to not yield,” said Yifan.
“I still want to prove that I can do it. I want to keep stepping onto the court, again and again, and prove that I still belong to compete at this level.
“Sometimes I feel as if I’m not strong enough. I wasn’t aggressive enough in the final.”
Yifan, who was part of China’s squad that won the 2020 and 2024 Uber Cup editions, showed the hunger to win would always be present even if she had tasted victory in the past.
“It’s the first time for me to feel this way competing at this level. The pressure was too great,” she said.
Before Yifan-Shuxian’s fall, South Korea started off superbly when reigning Olympic champion An Se-young beat Wang Zhiyi 21-10, 21-13 in the opening match.
World No. 1 pair Liu Shengshu-Tan Ning levelled the score after defeating Jeong Na-eun-Lee So-hee 21-15, 21-12.
Kim Ga-eun then stunned world No. 4 Chen Yufei to win 21-19, 21-15 and put South Korea 2-1 ahead, before Ha-na-Hye-jeong delivered the winning point.
