China sweep Canada in Uber Cup opener

AARHUS: The Chinese women's badminton team swept Canada 5-0 to win their opener at the 2021 Uber Cup in the Ceres Arena here on Saturday.

World No.9 He Bingjiao set off to a good start for China, beating Michelle Li who retired due to a reoccurring foot injury after losing the first set to He 21-12.

"I did not want to hurt anymore today. Maybe I pushed one of the steps too hard. After that, I don't want to get things worse," said the 29-year-old Olympian.

Being the highest ranked shuttler ever in Canada, the world No. 11 told Xinhua that she spent lots of time healing and did not want to take any setbacks.

"I'm looking forward to the future tournaments. This is a smart move for bigger picture. I want to go back to Canada and continue rehab for some time," said Li.

Li Wenmei and Zheng Yu then defeated Rachel Honderich and Kristen Tsai 21-10, 21-13 in the doubles to grant China a 2-0 lead. The two pairs had played once in 2018 and Zheng recalled it not an easy one.

The third match featured two young talents from both sides. 21-year-old Wang Zhiyi smashed 17-year-old Rachel Chan 21-19, 21-13 in their Uber Cup debut.

In the following doubles, Chinese duo Liu Xuanxuan and Xia Yuting collected their easy win over Catherine Choi and Talia Ng 21-6, 21-4 in 26 minutes.

In the final match, 21-year-old Han Yue overwhelmed 19-year-old Zhang Wenyu 21-12, 21-7, sealing the victory for China.

The Chinese team will face Malaysia on Sunday. Agencies