Chen powers into second round at badminton China Open

Home favorite Chen Yufei cruised into the second round of the women's singles at the badminton China Open, defeating South Korea's Kim Ga-eun in straight sets on Tuesday.

The Tokyo Olympic champion needed just 35 minutes to dispatch Kim 21-15, 21-11. "I was well-prepared, adjusted my mindset effectively, and executed my tactics with confidence," said fifth seed Chen after the match.

Chen Yufei of China competes during the women's singles round of 32 match between Chen Yufei of China and Kim Ga Eun of South Korea at the China Open 2025 badminton tournament in Changzhou, east China's Jiangsu Province, July 22, 2025. (Xinhua/Li Bo)

Chen's 23-year-old teammate, Han Qianxi, also advanced to the last 16 with a hard-fought victory over Thailand's Ratchanok Intanon, winning 20-22, 21-16, 21-19.

"I want to thank Chen. She watched a match replay with me last night and helped me analyze it. Her insights and experience against Intanon were really helpful," Han said.

In the men's singles, fifth seed Li Shifeng of China staged a dramatic comeback against India's Lakshya Sen. After dropping the first game 14-21, Li saved two match points in the second to win 24-22, before dominating the decider 21-11.

Elsewhere, Chinese men's doubles pair Liang Weikeng and Wang Chang secured a commanding 2-0 win over Chinese Taipei's Lee Jhe-huei and Yang Po-hsuan. In the mixed doubles, top seeds Feng Yanzhe and Huang Dongping of China defeated Japan's Yuichi Shimogami and Sayaka Hobara 21-18, 21-16 to move on to the next round.