China Loses 1-3 to S. Korea for Sudirman Cup Finals

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Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Monday, March 24, 2003

China Loses 1-3 to S. Korea for Sudirman Cup Finals

Though failing to retain the Sudirman Cup title, China is still delighted that the emergence of young players have made the traditional badminton powerhouse gain initiative in the future.

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Though failing to retain the Sudirman Cup title, China is still delighted that the emergence of young players have made the traditional badminton powerhouse gain initiative in the future.

China lost 1-3 to South Korea on Sunday's final of the world mixed team championships, which they have won four times since the year of 1995.

"The loss indicates that China is yet to be strong enough to win the title," said Chinese head coach Li Yongbo after the final.

But he could take comfort from the fact that a string of young players have made impact in their debut at the event, while the other powerhouses like South Korea and Denmark still heavily rely on old guns.

"We fielded as many as six young players in the four matches of the Sudirman Cup. These debutantes at the championships have gained a lot of experience through the competition,"said Li.

"I believe that they will get more prepared for the coming Olympics after going through such a major event as Sudirman Cup.

"Looking at the future, I think China is still a team to beat, "he said.

Li could also feel delighted with the progress made in the men's doubles event, which has been a chronic headache for Chinese badminton.

Cai Yun and Zhang Wei, who was paired just before the championship, gained intense media attention after upsetting the world's top pair Sigit Budiarto and Candra Wijaya of Indonesia in the semifinals.

Cai continued to show his potential in the final as he and Zhang almost pulled off another upset against the Korean top pair Lee Dong Soo and Yoo Yong Sung, rallying from 14-8 to 14-all in a pulsating second set before losing the set 14-17 and the match.

"I am very confident that Chinese men's doubles will be among the world elite in two or three years,"said Tang Xianhu, men's doubles coach.

"When the next Sudirman Cup comes, China will be strong in men's doubles," Tang added.

In addition, China also find their players have been getting mentally tougher, which Li thought is a necessity for being a top player.

Chen Hong, 24, had an inspiring performance in the final, breaking eight game points in the men's singles match against South Korean Lee Hyun II though losing the match in two sets eventually.

"Judging only by their fighting spirit, Chinese badminton has great hopes," Li said.

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