Sudirman Cup 2025: China beats Malaysia, Japan gets better of Chinese Taipei to enter semifinals

Hosts and defending champion China booked its place in the Sudirman Cup semifinals with a 3-0 win over Malaysia on Friday, while Japan advanced after beating Chinese Taipei in the quarterfinals by the same score.

The biennial mixed team championship saw a rematch between World No. 4 mixed doubles pair Chen Tang Jie and Toh Ee Wei from Malaysia and China’s Feng Yan Zhe and Huang Dong Ping. While the Malaysian pair won at the Paris Games, they couldn’t repeat the feat this time, going down 21-17, 21-17 in the opener.

Malaysia’s Leong Jun Hao, facing World No. 1 Shi Yu Qi for the first time, was outclassed 21-6, 21-14 in the men’s singles. Compatriot Karupathevan Letshanaa later suffered a 21-8, 21-7 loss to Tokyo Olympic champion Chen Yu Fei in the women’s singles.

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With the result sealed in just under two hours, the men’s and women’s doubles were not contested. Malaysia, which claimed bronze in the last two editions, has now lost all of its five Sudirman Cup meetings to date against 13-time champion China.

Japan took three hours to defeat Taiwan 3-0. Hiroki Midorikawa and Arisa Igarashi breezed past Ye Hong Wei and Hu Ling Fang 21-18, 21-18 in mixed doubles.

World No. 16 Koki Watanabe overcame seventh-ranked Chou Tien Chen 21-13, 20-22, 21-14 in the men’s singles, and World No. 4 Akane Yamaguchi beat Wei Chi Hsu 21-9, 17-21, 21-18 in the women’s singles to seal Japan’s sixth straight semifinal appearance.