The Guangdong women's badminton team concluded their group stage campaign of the 15th National Games held on November 11 in Shenzhen City, with a 3-1 victory over Shanghai, though the win wasn't enough to secure a spot in the semifinals.
With Zhejiang, Beijing, and Sichuan having already secured semifinal spots, Guangdong's victory over Shanghai confirmed their elimination from semifinal contention before the match even began.
However, the team's final group standing will determine their opponents in the classification matches, and the victory on November 11 provided valuable momentum for their push toward the best possible finish.
The match began with Guangdong's Sun Ailin taking the first game 21-14 in the opening women's singles. However, Shanghai's Shou Qunyu fought back strongly, winning the next two games 10-21, 14-21 to put Shanghai ahead.
Sun Ailin from Guangdong loses 1-2 to Shou Qunyu from the Shanghai team.
Guangdong quickly regained momentum through their women's doubles pairs. Li Yijing/Luo Xumin and Feng Xueying/Chen Xiaofei delivered steady performances to secure crucial points, putting Guangdong back in the lead. The victory was sealed when second singles player Huang Xinyi came from behind to win her match.
The Guangdong team pair Li Yijing (front) and Luo Xumin defeat the Shanghai team pair Luo Yi and Liao Lixi 2-0.
Despite the win, Guangdong's journey in the tournament has been challenging. The team was placed in the competitive Group F. In a crucial match on November 9, they suffered a narrow 2-3 defeat to Beijing.
According to the competition format, teams that don't advance to the semifinals will compete in the 5th-8th place playoffs.
Reporter | Huang Xinyi
Photo | Organizing Committee for the 15th National Games
Editor | Ouyang Yan, Hu Nan, James Campion, Shen He
