PETALING JAYA: Shi Yuqi and Weng Hongyang stood tall in two brutal singles battles as China defeated France 4-1 to lift the Thomas Cup for the 12th time.
World No. 1 Yuqi was pushed all the way before prevailing 21-16, 16-21, 21-17 against Christo Popov in one hour and 25 minutes to deliver the opening point.
The Chinese ace was matched physically throughout, but it was his composure and precision at crucial moments that ultimately broke Christo.
China were pegged back in the second singles when Li Shifeng found Alex Lanier too hot to handle, going down 13-21, 10-21.
Then came another marathon encounter.
The left-handed Hongyang, who had beaten Toma Junior Popov twice before in straight games, was taken to the limit this time.
The world No. 15 had to dig deep to edge Toma 22-20, 20-22, 21-19 in one hour and 36 minutes to restore China’s advantage.
In the doubles, He Jiting-Ren Xiangyu made sure there were no further hiccups, needing just 38 minutes to beat Eloi Adam-Leo Rossi and seal the winning point.
It then turned into a sea of red as China celebrated their 12th title, making amends for the women’s 1-3 defeat to South Korea earlier in the Uber Cup Finals.
RESULTS
THOMAS CUP FINALS
Final: China bt France 3-1: Shi Yuqi bt Christo Popov 21-16, 16-21, 21-17; Li Shifeng lost to Alex Lanier 13-21, 10-21; Weng Hongyang bt Toma Junior Popov 22-20, 20-22, 21-19; He Jiting-Ren Xiangyu bt Eloi Adam-Leo Rossi 21-13, 21-16.
