History was written as Chinese-Taipei celebrated a landmark double and China’s Wang Zhiyi landed her maiden All England title during a dramatic finals day at the Utilita Arena in Birmingham.
Chinese-Taipei emerged as the biggest winners of the tournament, capturing both the men’s singles and mixed doubles titles at badminton’s oldest and most prestigious event.
The breakthrough moment came when Lin Chun-Yi became his country’s first-ever All England men’s singles champion after defeating India’s Lakshya Sen 21-15, 22-20 in an absorbing final. The 26-year-old, who was not among the early favourites, produced a composed performance to control the rallies with sharp variation and precise shot placement.
Sen, who had battled through injury and cramps during his semifinals, fought hard to stay in contention, pushing the second game deep before Lin sealed victory to complete a remarkable title run.
The triumph capped a superb start to the season for Lin, who also won the India Open in January.
Earlier, compatriots Ye Hong Wei/Nicole Gonzales Chan also etched their names into the tournament’s history books by becoming Chinese Taipei’s first mixed doubles champions.
The unseeded pair defeated fifth seed French pair Thomas Giquel/Delphine Delrue 21-19, 21-18 to complete a historic double for their country.
In women’s singles, world No.2 Wang Zhiyi produced one of the biggest results of the tournament by defeating reigning champion An Se-young 21-15, 21-19 in a gripping 59-minute contest between the world’s top two players.
The victory ended An’s 36-win streak, including this year’s Malaysia Open and India Open, and secured Wang her maiden All England crown after six attempts. It was only her fifth win as compared to An’s 18 over their 23 meetings.
“I’m very happy. It’s a dream come true,” Wang said after the match. “The crowd created an amazing atmosphere all week. I will keep working hard.”
Defending champions Kim Won Ho/Seo Seung Jae successfully retained the men’s doubles title after rallying past Malaysia’s Aaron Chia/Soh Wooi Yik 18-21, 21-12, 21-19 in a thrilling 63-minute final.
The Korean pair recovered from a game down and trailed 7-12 in the deciding game before mounting a decisive surge to secure back-to-back titles, becoming only the fourth pair in the Open Era to retain the All England men’s doubles crown.
“It is such an honour to win back-to-back titles. Thanks to the fans who gave us massive support this week,” said Seo.
For Aaron and Soh, the defeat marked a third painful loss in an All England final.
China’s top seeds Liu Shengshu/Tan Ning completed a dominant week by defeating former champions South Korea’s Baek Ha Na/Lee So Hee 21-18, 21-12 to win the women’s doubles title.
Finals Results
Men’s Singles
Lin Chun-Yi (TPE) bt Lakshya Sen (IND) 21-15, 22-20
Women’s Singles
(2) Wang Zhiyi (CHN) bt (1) An Se-young (KOR) 21-15, 21-
Men’s Doubles
(1) Kim Won Ho/Seo Seung Jae (KOR) bt (2) Aaron Chia/Soh Wooi Yik (MAS) 18-21, 21-12, 21-19
Women’s Doubles
(1) Liu Shengshu/Tan Ning (CHN) bt (4) Baek Ha Na/Lee So Hee (KOR) 21-18, 21-12
Mixed Doubles
Ye Hong Wei/Nicole Gonzales Chan (TPE) bt Thomas Giquel/Delphine Delrue (FRA) 21-19, 21-18
