With the Chinese domination of the TotalEnergies BWF Thomas & Uber Cup Finals 2024, the set of major titles was complete for the powerhouses. China now hold the Sudirman Cup, the Uber Cup and the Thomas Cup concurrently for the first time since 2012.

Following their women who had dealt Indonesia a 3-0 whitewash in the morning of the final day for the Uber Cup title, China’s men delivered the coup-de-grace in the evening session, the only blip being the second men’s singles, where Jonatan Christie threatened to inspire an Indonesian revival.

Shi Yu Qi was impeccable for China in first singles, while Liang Wei Keng/Wang Chang and He Ji Ting/Ren Xiang Yu delivered the doubles.

Earlier in the day, China had their 16^th Uber Cup with a comprehensive 3-0 result over Indonesia.

With 24 straight wins through the tournament – and no loss – China regained the title they’d last won in 2022.

China hadn’t lost a match all week, and that wasn’t about to change in the final. Chen Yu Fei and Chen Qing Chen/Jia Yi Fan put China 2-0 ahead. The closest Indonesia got was in the third match, with Ester Nurumi Tri Wardoyo, in the biggest match of her young career, taking the fight to He Bing Jiao. The 19-year-old was unfazed by the occasion and gave a good account of her abilities. Having taken the opening game and staying close in the third, Wardoyo had a shot of pulling Indonesia back in the contest from 0-2 down, but He Bing Jiao’s superior experience helped her surge ahead at the end.

Chen/Jia Showcase Greatness

Chen Qing Chen and Jia Yi Fan continued to cement their legacy as the greats of this generation, with yet another incredible comeback, keeping China’s slate clean and helping them into their 20^th final.

In a match that resembled the YONEX French Open final against Chiharu Shida/Nami Matsuyama, Chen and Jia were slipping out the contest at 12-18 in the third game. By sheer force of will and presence of mind, they stormed back with six straight points.

The test wasn’t over yet, for Shida and Matsuyama remained steadfast and earned two match points. It was testament to Chen/Jia’s never-say-die attitude that they found a way out of these dire straits as they so often have in their career, and soon it was Shida and Matsuyama who were contemplating a bitter loss.

Historic Medal for Chinese Taipei

Chinese Taipei won their first Thomas Cup medal at the expense of second seeds Denmark, the 3-1 result giving the Asians a semifinal against Indonesia.

The charge was led by Chou Tien Chen, whose inspirational performance up front against nemesis Viktor Axelsen struck a blow from which Denmark struggled to recover. The veteran was caught up in a gruelling 68-minute battle with the world No.1, and somehow took his aching 34-year-old body across the line.

“He’s the best player in the world, I always thought he can come back,” said an exhausted Chou. “I tried to focus on what he could do. My teammates were cheering for me, I knew I needed to win this one for them. So I kept up my speed in the final few points. I didn’t know what was going on, the shuttle kept coming back.”

Indonesia Break 14-Year Medal Drought

A courageous performance by Ester Nurumi Tri Wardoyo capped off a brilliant quarterfinals day for Indonesia as they assured themselves of a first Uber Cup medal in 14 years.

The 19-year-old showed great temperament in the third match against Thailand’s Supanida Katethong, staying tenaciously in the game despite struggling physically through most of the third game. Her refusal to give in when the tide was turning against her finally broke Katethong’s challenge, with the world No.38 edging her higher-ranked opponent in perhaps the match of the tournament so far: 19-21 21-19 21-19.

Wardoyo frequently doubled over in exhaustion and appeared unable to move between points, but she willed herself on, helped by the sight of her teammates rooting for her.

“I was leading in the third game but I was so exhausted and I couldn’t move at all. I just tried to reset my mind and I saw my friends cheering for me and that gave me some energy and I told myself to keep pushing,” said the world No.38.

Leong Jun Hao Swings Tie

Unheralded Leong Jun Hao emerged Malaysia’s hero in the Thomas Cup quarterfinals, swinging the tie his team’s way to help them get the better of Japan and take a last-four place against China.

Malaysia had entered the Thomas Cup with proven strength in first singles (Lee Zii Jia) and the two doubles, but somewhat lean in their second and third singles in terms of past achievement. Certainly Leong was the underdog against Koki Watanabe in the second singles, but the world No.37 blew away his No.22 opponent in just 35 minutes, 21-13 21-10.

“I prepared as if it were my last match,” said Leong. “I told myself to fight for every point. My opponent had more pressure than me, so I didn’t find the match difficult to control. I just had to maintain the pressure on him.”

Czechmate for Chinese Taipei

A world No.265 gave Czechia their first win in their debut at the Thomas Cup Finals with the biggest upset of the tournament so far. Jirí Kral could barely believe what he had pulled off after he’d taken down world No.23 Wang Tzu Wei in a Group B tie.

Showing the composure of someone ranked far higher, Kral nicked a close first game from Wang and then repeated that feat at the death, with Wang rapidly closing in on him. The 24-22 10-21 21-19 win helped Czechia draw level at 1-1 after Lin Chun-Yi had given Chinese Taipei the lead beating Jan Louda in 35 minutes.

“Right now there’s no words, it’s just crazy, it’s an amazing win,” said Kral.

“It’s very special. It’s the first Thomas Cup for Czech Republic, so it’s special for all of us. Getting the win against such a good player, it’s very nice.”

Uganda Win Hearts

The loudest cheers of the opening session of the TotalEnergies BWF Thomas & Uber Cup Finals 2024 were for Uganda as they faced powerhouses Japan.

The crowd got in on the act in the fourth match, with Fadilah Shamika Mohamed Rafi and Tracy Naluwooza falling behind 21-0 in the first game against Rena Miyaura/Ayako Sakuramoto. The crowd kept willing the Ugandans on, and when they finally got the first point, there was deafening applause.

The Ugandans were cheerful about the experience, despite the gulf in quality between the two pairs.

“We were pretty calm about it because it’s a level we are not used to, and it was our first time,” said Rafi, who also played first singles, against Aya Ohori. “Playing against such amazing players, we just had to give our best and keep fighting, and I’m so happy we played our game and could at least fight and catch some eye. I’m so grateful to the crowd for the support. It was really nice.”