China Retain Thomas Cup Crown with Clear Win

China swept Indonesia 3-0 to win the Thomas Cup men's team badminton championship for the fourth straight time in Kuala Lumpur on Sunday.

Members of the Chinese team pose with their trophy after the final match against Indonesia at the Thomas Cup badminton championships in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, on May 16, 2010. China won the match 3-0 and claimed the title. [Photo:Xinhua/Song Zhenping]

China was crowned at the Thomas Cup men's badminton team championships for the fourth straight time in Kuala Lumpur on Sunday by cruising over powerhouse Indonesia 3-0 at the Putra Stadium.

"It was a perfect victory as those only appear in the textbook," said an excited Li Yongbo, China's head coach. "There is a comment saying the 'Great Wall' was toppled in our loss of the Uber Cup, then today I would say we made it stand up again."

Lin Dan, ranked second in the world, dominated the opener with an easy win over a long-time arch rival Taufik Hidayat 21-7, 21-14, producing a powerful start for the reigning champions.

"It is the best performance I have ever had since the beginning of 2010," said Lin, who failed to make the semifinals at both of the Super Series in Europe in March. "I am very happy that the strong rivals as Lee Chong Wei and Taufik here had inspired me to find my way back."

Cai Yun/Fu Haifeng made it a sweet revenge in the first doubles match where they downed Olympic champions Markis Kido/Hendra Setiawan 25-23, 16-21, 21-12 to lift China to a 2-0 lead.

"We lost to them in the doubles final of the Beijing Olympics at our home field, so we are very determined to take revenge today," said Cai. "We controlled very well on the net, and never lost confidence even when we were behind."

Li Yongbo gave all the best words to the veterans like Lin and Cai/Fu, saying they were playing a vital part in the team event.

"They are those kind of key players that we can rely on in such big tournaments," said Li.

In the second singles clash, China's Chen Jin held back the challenges from Simon Santoso, rallying from one set down to win by 19-21, 21-17, 21-7 in one hour and 13 minutes to complete the sweep.

Indonesia's team manager Yacob Rusdianto expressed his regret of losing the chance to take back the Cup after their last win here in 2000, but adding the players had given their best on the court.

"I am proud of our players although we lost the match, as each of them have exerted themselves to the utmost," said Yacob. "I would say sorry to our supporters and hopefully we will make it happen next time."

(Xinhua News Agency May 16, 2010)