South Korea made history on Saturday by ending China’s 12-year stranglehold on the Uber Cup with a 3-1 victory that saw China’s world number one Wang Yihan sensationally lose in straight sets.
The South Koreans were expected to buckle under the might of a team that fired a massive 686 points in four ties, finishing victors in every one of their 16 rubbers and winning 32 sets while conceding just one.
But the fans sensed an upset when Bae Seung Hee, ranked 16, out-battled, out-thought and outclassed Wang in the first singles rubber and set the tone for five gruelling hours of stunning badminton from the South Koreans.
Bae, who has been impeccable after losing in the group stages, kept her cool to pip Wang 23-21 in a tense first set before pressuring her opponent into a series of errors to seal the rubber with a 21-11 win at Kuala Lumpur’s Putra Stadium.
Wang, crowned world player of the year on Sunday, was uncharacteristically indecisive at the net and on four occasions let the shuttle fly over her head, expecting it to go long only to see it land inside.
“The China team is so strong I didn’t have any pressure,” said a jubilant Bae, who had played Wang twice and lost twice before.
“I just wanted to play and enjoy the game. Maybe that’s the reason I won.”
Lee Hyo Jung and Kim Min Jung defied history to win another thrilling three-set rubber to win 18-21, 21-12, 21-15 against Ma Jin/Wang Xiaoli in the first doubles.
The wheel spun back towards China, holders of the biennial Uber Cup since 1998, when world number two Wang Xin proved too good for South Korea’s Sung Ji Hyun, who crashed 21-14, 16-21, 21-7.
But Lee Kyung Won/Ha Jung Eun sealed a thrilling finale in the doubles and took the cup, beating Du Jing/Yu Yang 19-21, 21-14, 21-19. — AFP