China overpowers Malaysia in Uber Cup badminton tournament

AARHUS, Denmark - China's women's badminton team crushed Malaysia 5-0 in the second round of the Uber Cup group stage here on Sunday.

Tokyo Olympic champion Chen Yufei drew first blood against the 20-year-old Eoon Qixuan, winning 21-13, 21-11.

"This is my first game in the 2021 Uber Cup and it's normal that I had some problems in the first set. But I collected points quickly as she was making more mistakes," said Chen. "I believe things will become much better in the coming matches."

Liu Xuanxuan and Xia Yuting outplayed Lee Meng Yean and Thinaah Muralitharan, 21-12, 21-17 in the following doubles tie.

"We were prepared for all kinds of scenarios. Our opponents are much stronger than the Canadian pair yesterday, so we're not surprised to fight hard in the second set," Xia told Xinhua after the game.

Liu was happy to grab the victory for the Chinese team and vowed to make more contributions for China in their title campaign. "We would collect more points if we could manage the details well."

He Bingjiao overwhelmed Siti Nurshuhaini 21-8, 21-3 in just 23 minutes in the third match-up.

"I cannot decide who would be my opponent and how strong she is. The only thing I can do is to fight 100 percent, no matter whom I face. I'll try every effort to motivate myself," said the world No. 9 singles player.

Huang Dongping and Jia Yifan then smashed Go Pei Kee and Teoh Mei Xing 21-9, 21-12 in the doubles, before 21-year-old Wang Zhiyi defeated 18-year-old Karupathevan Letshanaa 21-15, 21-11 to seal the victory for China.

China will face hosts Denmark on Tuesday in the final round of the group stage.