“Best day in badminton history for Hong Kong,” said runner-up Lee Cheuk Yiu, as Gunawan claimed his first Super 750 title
Jason Gunawan beats Lee Cheuk Yiu in historic all-Hong Kong final at badminton’s China Masters
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Jason Gunawan beat fellow Hong Kong player Lee Cheuk Yiu 21-9, 21-16 in Sunday’s men’s singles final at badminton’s China Masters in Shenzhen, capturing his first Super 750 title and completing the first ever all-Hong Kong final in the BWF World Tour era.
How did Hong Kong’s Jason Gunawan and Lee Cheuk Yiu reach the China Masters final?
The 22-year-old Gunawan, ranked world number 32 entering the tournament, produced one of the standout runs of the season, defeating world number one Jonatan Christie, defending champion Weng Hongyang, and fifth seed Anders Antonsen, the last of those in a gruelling 98-minute, three-game semifinal, to reach his first Super 750 final.
[See more: 2026 Asian Games: Hong Kong, Macao and China readying squads for Nagoya]
Lee, Hong Kong’s top ranked player, took a steadier path to the final, eliminating compatriot Angus Ng Ka-long, France’s Toma Junior Popov, and world number two Christo Popov along the way.
Both Hong Kong players train under Malaysian former star Wong Choong Hann, who coaches the SAR’s men’s singles squad.
What did the players say?
Lee, who hadn’t reached a World Tour final in 21 months before this tournament, called the result “the best day in badminton history for Hong Kong” despite the loss, saying he felt privileged to witness Gunawan’s first Super 750 title in person. Gunawan said facing a training partner in a final felt like a fair test of both players’ progress.
What happened in the other finals?
- Women’s singles: South Korea’s An Se Young beat Japan’s Tomoka Miyazaki for the title, with China’s Wang Zhiyi taking bronze
- Men’s doubles: India’s Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty beat China’s He Jiting and Ren Xiangyu 11-21, 21-13, 21-17, becoming the first Indian pair to win the China Masters since the tournament began in 2005
- Women’s doubles: Japan’s Sumire Nakade and Miyu Takahashi won gold, with China’s Bao Lijing and Cao Zihan taking silver
- Mixed doubles: China’s Feng Yanzhe and Huang Dongping won gold, with Malaysia’s Hoo Pang Ron and Lai Pei Jing taking silver
