And just like that, the 29th edition of the TotalEnergies BWF World Championships comes to an end. It’s been a great week in Paris, with plenty of unforgettable matches and with Europeans on three of the five podiums.
The finals kicked off with mixed doubles, where Malaysia’s Chen Tang Jie/Toh Ee Wei faced Jiang Zhen Bang/Wei Ya Xin, China. With the head-to-head tied 2-2 before the match, it was all to play for, but the Malaysians delivered a strong performance, winning in straight games, 21-15 21-14.
Then came the women’s singles final, a clash between China’s Chen Yu Fei and Japan’s Akane Yamaguchi. Despite worries about an visible ankle issue in yesterday’s semifinal, Chen Yu Fei fought hard, but Yamaguchi was simply dominant, leaving no room for error as she took the title, 21-9 21-13.
Next up was women’s doubles. Top seeds Liu Sheng Shu/Tan Ning from China faced Malaysia’s Pearly Tan/Thinaah Muralitharan in one of the most thrilling matches of the day. Liu/Tan won the opener 21-14, but the Malaysians responded taking the second game, 22-20. In a close decider, the Chinese pair sealed it 21-17.
Jnanesh Salian
It's fair to say the men’s singles final lived up to the hype. World number one Shi Yu Qi and world number three Kunlavut Vitidsarn put on a show. Vitidsarn struck first, winning the opening game, but Shi struck back with a strong second game, 21-10. The third game was close, but it was Shi who closed it out 21-18, finally winning his first World Championships title.
Yves Lacroix
The event closed with men’s doubles, with Korea’s Kim Won Ho/Seo Seung Jae facing China’s Chen Bo Yang/Liu Yi. With just one prior encounter, also won by the Korean duo, history repeated itself, as Kim/Seo won again, this time with a 21-17 21-12 win to close the event.
Jnanesh Salian
This was another memorable edition of the World Championships, one that saw Europeans leave their mark once again - with bronze medals for Anders Antonsen, Kim Astrup/Anders Skaarup Rasmussen, and Thom Gicquel/Delphine Delrue.
The World Tour starts again shortly, and the European Circuit is back in full swing - and the European leg of the World Tour kicks off in just over a month. Are you ready?
