Team China acknowledge their fans before the Sudirman Cup semifinal in Suzhou, China, May 20, 2023. /CFP

Hosts China suffered a huge scare before rallying past Japan 3-2 to reach the final of the Sudirman Cup in Suzhou, east China's Jiangsu Province, on Saturday.

In the opening mixed doubles event, China's Feng Yanzhe and Huang Dongping were stunned by Japan's Kyohei Yamashita and Naru Shinoya 24-26, 21-18, 22-24 in a 106-minute thriller.

"We were actually leading all the way in the latter part of the third set, and I had a lot of chances, but we dropped it. I think I should have been a bit more patient," said Feng.

China's Feng Yanzhe (L) and Huang Dongping in action during the Sudirman Cup semifinal mixed doubles match in Suzhou, China, May 20, 2023. /CFP

The second event was the men's singles match between China's Shi Yuqi and Japan's Kodai Naraoka, while the third event was the women's singles match between China's Chen Yufei and Japan's Akane Yamaguchi.

Shi recovered from one set down to beat Naraoka 13-21, 21-15, 12-17 in the men's singles, and Olympic women's singles champion Chen lost to Yamaguchi 14-21, 15-21.

Shi Yuqi of China jumps to celebrate his victory during the Sudirman Cup semifinal men's singles match in Suzhou, China, May 20, 2023. /CFP

Later, Liu Yuchen and Ou Xuanyi saved China from the brink of defeat as the men's doubles pair clinched a crucial tie when Japan led 2-1 and had four match points in hand.

The young pair lost their first set 21-17 before claiming the second 21-19. Japan's Takuro Hoki and Yugo Kobayashi showed strength to lead 20-16 in the third set but were turned back by Liu and Ou 22-20 when Japan were one step away from the final.

China's Chen Yufei (in red) and Japan's Akane Yamaguchi (in blue) in action during their Sudirman Cup semifinal women's singles match in Suzhou, China, May 20, 2023. /CFP

"We are very happy to have taken the match; we did our job today and didn't let the fans down at home with the men's doubles," said Liu.

"I didn't think I could play like that before, but I gave it my all," Ou added.

Ou Xuanyi (L) and Liu Yuchen of China in action during the Sudirman Cup semifinal men's doubles match in Suzhou, China, May 20, 2023. /CFP

With such morale and cheering from the home crowds, world No. 1 women's pair Chen Qingchen and Jia Yifan thrashed Yuki Fukushima and Sayaka Hirota in straight sets to seal the win.

China, the most successful team in tournament history, have won 12 of the past 17 editions and never missed the final since 1993.

After making to the final 15 times in a row, the hosts will contend for the title with four-time winner South Korea, who knocked out Malaysia 3-1 earlier on Saturday.

China's Chen Qingchen (L) and Jia Yifan celebrate their victory during the Sudirman Cup semifinal women's doubles match in Suzhou, China, May 20, 2023. /CFP

Chinese badminton great Chen Long announced his retirement at age 34, ending a decorated career that included Olympic gold and two world titles.

"This is a difficult moment for me. It's so hard to say goodbye," Chen wrote on Weibo, China's Twitter-like social media platform, on May 19.

China's Chen Long (R) and his wife during his retirement ceremony in Suzhou, China, May 19, 2023. /CFP

"At this special moment, I'm really full of emotion. I want to say thank you to the Chinese badminton team, my family and the fans. Badminton is the love of my life. I was lucky enough to wear the national shirt and play for my country because not all dreams come true in life," he said.

The former world number one won the Olympic crown at Rio 2016 and followed it up with silver during the Tokyo Olympics in 2021. He also took bronze at the London 2012 Games and claimed the world titles in 2014 and 2015.

(With input from Xinhua, AFP)

Source: CGTN