China clinch two titles at badminton Thailand Open

China claimed titles in the women's singles and mixed doubles at the 2025 Thailand Open on Sunday, while Malaysian shuttlers swept both the men's and women's doubles events.

In the women's singles final, Chen Yufei of China won the gold medal with a convincing straight-set victory over Thailand's Pornpawee Chochuwong, 21-16, 21-12, in just 48 minutes.

Winner Chen Yufei (R) of China and runner-up Pornpawee Chochuwong of Thailand pose during the awarding ceremony for the women's singles at the Thailand Open 2025 badminton tournament in Bangkok, Thailand, May 18, 2025. [Photo/Xinhua]

Chen said after the match that although the week wasn't particularly challenging overall, each round presented unique difficulties -- including the final, where she still made some unforced errors. She noted that her physical condition has improved since returning to the court, but she is still working to regain the speed and aggression she had previously.

"My priority now is to improve my ranking to make sure that I have a good draw at each tournament, but I will also balance that with my physical condition to avoid injury," said Chen, who ranks No. 8 in the latest world rankings.

In the mixed doubles final, Feng Yanzhe and Huang Dongping defeated teammates Gao Jiaxuan and Wu Mengying 24-22, 21-16. The first set was tightly contested, but the experienced pair of Feng and Huang prevailed under pressure and went on to close out the match in the second set. After the match, Huang praised their younger teammates for their strong performance.

"They created immense difficulties for us during the match. They tried their best to challenge us, like how we used to do against top players when we were young," said Huang.

Malaysia delivered a strong showing in the doubles events. In the women's doubles final, Pearly Tan and Thinaah Muralitharan overcame South Korea's Jeong Na-eun and Lee Yeon-woo 21-16, 21-17. In the men's doubles final, Aaron Chia and Soh Wooi Yik edged Denmark's William Kryger Boe and Christian Faust Kjaer in a hard-fought match, 20-22, 21-17, 21-12.

In the men's singles final, Thailand's Kunlavut Vitidsarn thrilled the home crowd with a three-set victory over Denmark's Anders Antonsen.