China delivered a commanding opening statement, Denmark showed resilience in a tight group encounter, and Group D produced an early surprise as the BWF Uber Cup Finals 2026 got underway at Forum Horsens Arena on Friday.
Defending champions China were clinical and composed, sweeping aside Ukraine 5–0 in a one-sided Group A tie. Olympic champion Chen Yufei and Han Yue led a lineup that rarely looked stretched, as China’s pursuit of a record 17th title began in emphatic fashion.
The more competitive story in the group came from the encounter between Denmark and India. India made the brighter start, with PV Sindhu taking the opening singles rubber to put her side ahead. Denmark responded through Line Højmark Kjærsfeldt to level the tie, before world number 43 Amalie Schulz secured the decisive point with a singles win over Tanvi Sharma, sealing a hard-fought 3–2 result for the hosts.
In Group D, South Korea and Thailand both opened with victories, though only Korea did so in comfortable fashion. Led by world number one An Se Young, Korea recorded a straightforward 5–0 win over Spain.
Thailand, by contrast, were pushed hard by Bulgaria. Ratchanok Intanon suffered a surprise defeat to world number 49 Kaloyana Nalbantova — one of the day’s standout upsets. The Thais recovered their composure to clinch the tie 3–2, but the narrow win highlighted areas their coaching staff will want to address.
The top two teams from each group advance to the quarter-finals, which begin on April 30.
Results — Day 1
Group A:
China bt Ukraine 5–0
Denmark bt India 3–2
Group D:
Korea bt Spain 5–0 —
