South Korea claimed the Uber Cup for the third time, beating China 3-1 in Denmark to stop a bid for retention.
South Korea stunned badminton’s traditional powerhouse as they dethroned China to win the Uber Cup for the third time.
In Denmark at Forum Horsens on May 3, South Korea lifted the trophy by beating the defending champions 3-1, breaking China’s hopes of retaining the title.. The focus_keyphrase “Uber Cup” was front and center from the start, with China arriving as overwhelming favourites, buoyed by a lineup packed with top-ranked singles and pairs.
South Korea’s victory mattered because it flips the usual script of dominance and shows how quickly momentum can swing in team badminton, where one match can reshape an entire tie.
The final began with South Korea’s world No.. 1 An Se-young carrying the pressure.. She extended her control over China’s second-ranked Wang Zhiyi, winning in straight games 21-10, 21-13 in 47 minutes.. It was another meeting where An’s edge stood out, as she secured her 12th win over Wang in the past two years.
China briefly regrouped in doubles, where world No. 1 Liu Shengshu and Tan Ning levelled the tie. They defeated a scratch combination, Jeong Na-eun and Lee So-hee, 21-15, 21-12 in 53 minutes, emphasizing a straightforward approach amid changes on the other side.
That moment of balance mattered because it set up the real test: whether China could push through when matches tightened instead of relying only on rankings.
The turning point arrived in the second singles, where South Korea’s Kim Ga-eun overcame a troubling recent record against China’s Chen Yufei.. After previous meetings had not gone her way, Kim reversed the trend with a straight-games win, 21-19, 21-15 in 55 minutes, highlighted by momentum shifts in both games.
With China now needing results to keep alive their title defence, the pressure moved to the doubles deciding the tie. Jia Yifan and Zhang Shuxian took an early advantage, winning the first game 21-16, but Baek Ha-na and Kim Hye-jeong struck back to take the next two games 21-10 and 21-13.
The final push sealed the championship for South Korea, and it triggered immediate celebrations on court as the team formed a winners’ circle. The victory marks South Korea’s third Uber Cup title, with earlier wins in 2010 and 2022.
In this context, China failing to retain the Uber Cup is more than a single upset, because it underlines how depth in women’s badminton can still be challenged at the highest level when pairings click and nerves hold.
For South Korea, the title also capped a night where Sim Yu-jin, the heroine of 2022, did not have to play again beyond joining in the celebrations. Kim’s third-singles assignment against Han Yue had been part of the plan, but the decisive outcomes came before it was needed.
The win leaves the next edition with a clearer narrative: the Uber Cup is no longer just about who arrives as the favourite, but who can deliver when the matchups tighten.