China's national badminton team is facing a low point as they were completely eliminated from the India Open, leaving only one male singles player to face the challenges ahead.
The India Open, a Super 750 level event and the second major tournament of the new season, has attracted many top players with its total prize pool of 950,000.Thesingleschampionswillreceive66,500, while the doubles champions will take home $70,300.
China has sent a strong lineup to compete in this tournament. In men's singles, Li Shifeng, Weng Hongyang, Lu Guangzu, and Lei Lanxi are representing the national team. On the women's side, Wang Zhiyi, Han Yue, and Gao Fangjie are participating. In men's doubles, Liang Weikang and Wang Chang, He Jiting and Ren Xiangyu, Chen Boyang and Liu Yi, as well as Xie Haonan and Zeng Weihan are competing. For women's doubles, Liu Shengshu and Tan Ning, Li Yijing and Luo Xumin, and Jia Yifan and Zhang Shuxian are vying for victory. In mixed doubles, Jiang Zhenbang and Wei Yaxin, Guo Xinwa and Chen Fanghu, Cheng Xing and Zhang Chi are all striving for success.
In the first round, China achieved 14 victories but also suffered 3 losses. Li Shifeng and Lei Lanxi failed to advance past the first round in men's singles. Additionally, Chen Boyang withdrew from his match with Liu Yi due to health issues.
Moving into the round of 16, the competition intensified. In mixed doubles, the tenth-ranked Cheng Xing/Zhang Chi pair performed poorly, losing 17-21, 22-20, 17-21 in a decisive game against Thailand's Opasorn/Ongpraprapart, resulting in an unexpected elimination and missing out on the quarterfinals. However, the world's second-ranked Jiang Zhenbang/Wei Yaxin duo demonstrated their prowess by easily defeating Indonesia's Deyan/Ramadanti with scores of 21-19, 21-16, securing their spot in the quarterfinals.
In men's doubles, the world's third-ranked Liang Weikang/Wang Chang duo defeated the thirteenth-ranked British pair of Lane/Wendy with scores of 21-15 and 24-22, advancing smoothly. However, the sixth-ranked He Jiting/Ren Xiangyu lost to the 142nd-ranked South Korean pair of Kim Wonho/Seo Seungjae with scores of 14-21 and 18-21, ending their run in the top 16. Similarly, the 39th-ranked Xie Haonan/Zeng Weihan lost 0-2 to the fifth-ranked Malaysian pair of Adnan/Soh Wooi Yik with scores of 10-21 and 18-21.
In women's singles, the second-ranked Wang Zhiyi showed her strength by defeating Denmark's Mia, ranked 23rd, with scores of 21-13, 16-21, 21-8, advancing to the quarterfinals. The fourth-ranked Han Yue easily beat Japan's rising star, ranked 39th, with scores of 21-12 and 21-9, strongly advancing to the next round.
In women's doubles, the world's first-ranked Liu Shengshu/Tan Ning pair, who won six titles this season, easily won with scores of 21-14, 21-10, defeating the 43rd-ranked Taiwanese pair of Hu Lingfang/Zheng Yujie. In contrast, Jia Yifan and Zhang Shuxian had to withdraw due to injury when trailing 4-14 in the first set, allowing the Malaysian pair of Chen Kangle/Tina to advance without a fight.
In men's singles, the 21st-ranked Weng Hongyang defeated Malaysia's Liang Junhao, ranked 28th, with scores of 21-18, 21-12, advancing with a 2-0 total score. Weng Hongyang's performance was fluid and pleasing to watch.
Lu Guangzu faced off against Zhou Tiancheng in this tournament. Zhou, currently ranked ninth in the world and seeded seventh in the event, reached world number two in his peak year of 2019. Last year, he won a Super 500 event and placed runner-up in a Super 750 event. Unfortunately, he lost to Shi Yuqi in the quarterfinals of the Malaysian Open this season. However, he easily advanced in the first round of this event with a 2-0 win over Canada's top player, Yang Chuan.
Lu Guangzu is ranked 19th in the world. They have met eight times before, with Zhou holding a clear advantage of six wins to two. In the last four encounters, Zhou has been undefeated, especially in last season's Japan Open where he won 2-0.
In the first game, Zhou led narrowly at 6-5, then like a wild horse let loose, took four out of five points to lead 11-6 and enter the technical timeout. After the break, Lu fought back fiercely, closing the gap to 9-12. Zhou remained steady, always controlling the rhythm, and ultimately solidified his lead at 19-12, winning the first game 21-15.
In the second game, Zhou appeared more calm and collected, starting with a 4-0 lead. Lu did not back down, launching a tenacious counterattack. Both sides exchanged blows, and Lu, with his resilient defense and precise offense, successfully suppressed Zhou to end the first half 11-7. Returning to the court, Lu was unstoppable, surging ahead to eventually win 21-13, evening the score.
In the decisive game, both sides fought intelligently, with the score seesawing. Zhou entered the break with a narrow 11-10 lead. After the pause, Lu's state seemed to fluctuate, with more errors creeping in. Zhou seized the opportunity, firmly controlling the rhythm, eventually pulling away to 18-13 and sealing the victory at 21-14. Thus, Zhou advanced to the quarterfinals with a 2-1 victory over Lu, while Lu suffered his fifth consecutive defeat.
Now, in the men's singles category for China, only Weng Hongyang remains, a solitary sapling swaying in the storm.