Uber Cup: China To Defend Title Against South Korea In Final

By Amiril Muttaqien Meketar

HORSENS (Denmark), May 2 (Bernama) -- China closed in on yet another Uber Cup crown after dismantling six-time champions Japan 3-0 to storm into the 2026 final, where South Korea stand as the last hurdle at Forum Horsens tomorrow.

Two-time champions  South Korea booked their spot in the final after overcaming three-time champions Indonesia 3-1 in the other semi-final.

China were tested early when their top women’s singles and world No. 2 Wang Zhi Yi was pushed to the limit before rallying past world No. 3 Akane Yamaguchi 21-23, 21-11, 21-16 in a demanding 73-minute battle.

The world No. 1 women’s doubles pair Liu Sheng Shu-Tan Ning extended the lead with a controlled 21-18, 21-14 victory over world No. 6 duo Yuki Fukushima-Mayu Matsumoto, before second singles Chen Yu Fei wrapped up the tie with a composed 21-11, 22-20 win against Tomoka Miyazaki.

Despite the convincing scoreline, Yu Fei said the semi-final was far from comfortable, especially with the pressure mounting deep into the match.

“Each match was getting hard to play especially when your team reaches the semi-finals but our determination to win is becoming stronger, so there’s definitely some pressure and nervousness on court,” she said in a post-match interview.

In the meantime, world No. 1 An Se Young put South Korea ahead with a 21-19, 21-5 win over Putri Kusuma Wardani, before world No. 3 duo Baek Ha Na-Lee So Hee survived an 88-minute thriller to beat Febriana Dwipuji Kusuma-Amellia Cahaya Pratiwi 21-16, 19-21, 21-15.

Indonesia kept the tie alive through Thalita Ramadhani Wiryawan’s 21-19, 21-19 victory over Sim Yu Jin in the third game.

However, South Korea shut the door in the fourth match through scratch pair Jeong Na Eun-Kim Hye Jeong who got past world No. 15 Rachel Allesya Rose-Febi Setianingrum 21-16, 21-18 in 51-minutes.

Hye Jeong said she was delighted to send South Korea to the final while Na Eun said her team will give their all to claim third Uber Cup title.

The final sets up a familiar rivalry, with China, 16 times champions, holding a 7-2 edge over South Korea in previous Uber Cup title clashes.

The Uber Cup Finals 2026, which began on April 24, concludes tomorrow.

-- BERNAMA