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China bags 3 golds in Badminton Asia Championships

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<div class="embed-wrap"><figure data-feedback="fb:likes,fb:comments"><img alt="China came away with three golds in the Badminton Asia Championships. Handout photo" src="https://sa.kapamilya.com/absnews/abscbnnews/media/2022/overseas/05/02/china.jpg"/><figcaption>China came away with three golds in the Badminton Asia Championships. Handout photo</figcaption></figure></div>MANILA, Philippines -- China asserted its dominance in the Asian badminton scene after winning three golds, one silver, and two bronzes at the Smart Badminton Asia Championships that concluded on Sunday at the Muntinlupa Sports Complex in Muntinlupa City.World No. 1 and reigning world champions Chen Qing Chen and Jia Yi Fan led the charge for the Chinese national badminton team after their dominating run in the women&#x27;s doubles. Chen and Jia punctuated this with a solid work over Japan&#x27;s Rin Iwanaga and Kie Nakanishi in the final, 21-11, 21-15.Chen and Jia gained 12,000 points for BWF World Rankings to pad their lead atop the leaderboard, while Iwanaga and Nakanishi received 10,200. The other semifinalists in China&#x27;s Du Yue and Li Minwei and Japan&#x27;s Yuki Fukushima and Sayaka Hirota bagged 8,400 points for each pair.In an all-Chinese affair in the mixed doubles, world No. 2 and two-time world champions Zheng Si Wei and Huang Ya Qiong stamped their class over compatriots Wang Yi Lyu and Huang Dong Ping, 21-17, 21-15, in the championship match.This is the first Asian title for the 2019 world champions after taking the bronzes in 2018 and 2019.With the win, Zheng and Huang Ya Qiong gained 12,000 points for BWF World Rankings, while Wang and Huang Dong Ping received 10,200. Semifinalists Indonesia&#x27;s Praveen Jordan and Melati Daeva Oktaviani and Japan&#x27;s Yuta Watanabe and Arisa Higashino took 8,400 points.After needing to fend off Wang and Huang in that close first set, the 2022 Tokyo Olympics silver medalists pulled away early in the second with six consecutive points to lead 9-2.Wang and Huang&#x27;s advantage then ballooned to a double-digit at 15-5 to virtually seal their fate with a first-ever Asian championship.Rounding the China run was world No. 16 Wang Zhi Yi, who fashioned a come-from-behind 15-21, 21-13, 21-19 win over the favored world No. 2 Akane Yamaguchi of Japan in the women&#x27;s singles.The 2019 champion Yamaguchi tried to rescue her reign with four consecutive points to cut the deficit to 11-17 in the third and deciding game. Yamaguchi eventually forced a deadlock at 19-all with Wang committing an error on a drop attempt.The newly-crowned Wang said through an interpreter, &quot;I was excited to get the championship. It was incredible and unimaginable because no one thought that I will win the title, including myself.&quot;Yamaguchi is a very tough opponent so I had to adjust my mentality to go through some tough decisions in the match,&quot; the 22-year-old native of Shashi, Jingzhou added.Yamaguchi earlier stamped her class and took the set advantage, capitalizing on Wang&#x27;s errors late in the frame. The 24-year-old needed to catch up in that second set but slightly injured her left knee in an attempt to save the ball.Wang also took advantage of her opponent&#x27;s errors and found her own shots to send the match into a deciding set.China&#x27;s two bronzes came from men&#x27;s singles with Weng Hong Yang and in women&#x27;s doubles with Du Yue and Li Wen Mei.Malaysia and Indonesia also made their respective histories with the first-ever Asian titles for Lee Zii Jia in men&#x27;s singles and the pair of Pramudya Kusumawardana and Yeremia Erich Yoche Yacob Rambitan in men&#x27;s doubles.World No. 7 Lee fended off Indonesia&#x27;s Jonatan Christie in the second set to win the title, 21-17, 23-21. Meanwhile, Kusumawardana and Rambitan stunned world No. 9 Soh Wooi Yik and Aaron Chia of Malaysia, 23-21, 21-10.Almost two years and seven months after getting his first-ever Southeast Asian Games gold in this very same venue, Lee made another first with this Asian title.&quot;This is a very special place for me,&quot; Lee shared. &quot;I would like to thank the fans in the Philippines and around the world, especially my hometown, Malaysia, for the support. I think this is the best present for them. This is how I repay them, and hopefully, more to come.&quot;The 24-year-old Malaysian needed to fend off Christie twice in either frame, where he got the first set on errors of the Indonesian.Christie threatened to force a deciding set after a four-point swing saw him at game point. Miscues late in the match for the 2018 Asian Games champion then leveled the set at 22, before Lee pocketed the last two points that sealed the title in his favor.&quot;Jonatan was trying his best to close out the game in the second set, but I told myself to remain calm in the situation,&quot; the 2022 All-England champion said.

China asserted its dominance in the Asian badminton scene after winning three golds, one silver, and two bronzes at the Badminton Asia Championships.