Guwahati (Assam) [India], October 11 (ANI): Badminton powerhouse China showcased composure under pressure to defeat defending champions Indonesia 2-0 in the finals of the BWF World Junior Championships 2025 on Saturday, lifting the coveted Suhandinata Cup for the 15th time in Guwahati.
China entered the final with a formidable lineup featuring three reigning Asian Junior Championships individual gold medallists and two silver medallists. Indonesia, aiming to retain the title they won last year, needed special performances from a few players but fell short against the Chinese juggernaut, according to a release from the Badminton Association of India (BAI).
Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma expressed his gratitude for Assam hosting the prestigious event and congratulated the winning team, China, as well as India for its bronze medal finish.
While speaking to the reporters, Assam CM Himanta Biswa Sarma said, “Today is a great day for Assam. We hosted the World Junior Badminton Championship. China defeated Indonesia. India also won a Bronze…”
But the Chinese juggernaut wasn’t to be halted as they beat the Indonesians 45-30, 45-44 in just over two hours to clinch the title. India and Japan bagged the bronze medals as the losing semi-finalists.
India’s challenge in the Championships came to an end with a bronze medal after the hosts’ spirited effort was not enough to upset the defending champions, Indonesia, in the semifinals on Friday.
The first set was dominated by China as Asian junior girls’ doubles champions Cao Zi Han and Chen Fan Shu Tian narrowly defeated Indonesia’s Riska Anggraini and Rinjani Nastine 9-8 in the opening match. China went on to win every match thereafter to close the set.
The second set was a topsy-turvy affair as Riska and Rinjani turned the tables on their opponents to give Indonesia a 9-5 lead. However, Chen Jun Ting and Cao then fought back from an 8-13 deficit to win 10 of the next 11 points to put China back in command at 18-14.
Asian Junior Championship silver medallist Liu Si Ya was then pushed to the distance by Thalita Wiryawan, but did enough to maintain a three-point advantage for China at 27-24.
It looked like world Junior no. 1 Moh. Zaki Ubaidillah could then help Indonesia turn the tables on China, as he immediately restored parity at 27-27, and the scores went neck-and-neck until 31-31.
But China’s Liu Yang Ming Yu did enough to stay alive in the rallies to force his opponent into making mistakes, and gave a four-point advantage to the boy’s doubles pairing in the last match of the set.
The final match of the set was a test of nerves for all four players as Indonesia’s Alexius Subagio and Raihan Pramono closed the gap at 40-39 and then earned a set point at 44-43.
But Chen Jun Ting and Liu Jun Rong kept their nerves under pressure and closed out the match by forcing another error from the Indonesians.
The BWF World Junior Championships 2025 will have a rest day on Sunday, with the individual championships for Eye Level Cups beginning on Monday. (ANI)
