Gold Coast (Australia): Defending champions China will face three-time winners South Korea in the final of the mixed teams Sudirman Cup after fighting off a stern Japanese challenge here on Saturday.
The 10-time winners needed victory in the fifth match by women’s doubles pair Chen Qingchen and Jia Yifan to seal a 3-2 win over the 2015 finalists Japan.
Chen and Jia prevailed 21-12, 21-19 over the Japanese duo Misaki Matsutomo and Ayaka Takahashi.
South Korea, who beat China for their last Sudirman Cup title in Eindhoven in 2003, won the other semi-final 3-1 over Thailand.
Japan took China all the way with wins in the mixed doubles through Yuta Watanabe and Arisa Higashino 21-12, 14-21, 21-19 over China’s Zheng Siwei and Chen Qingchen and in the women’s singles with Akane Yamaguchi over Sun Yu 21-17, 21-15.
Dual Olympic and five-time world champion Lin Dan fought off Kenta Nishimoto 21-19, 21-16 in the men’s singles while Li Junhui and Liu Yuchen took out the men’s doubles 23-21, 21-16 over Takeshi Kamura and Keigo Sonoda.
Sung Ji Hyun defeated Ratchanok Intanon in the fourth match 21-13, 21-17 to clinch passage to the final for South Korea.
