World number one and Olympic champion An Se-young “started the fire” as South Korea toppled China to win badminton’s prestigious Uber Cup women’s world team title.
China meanwhile beat France to lift the Thomas Cup, the men’s crown, also in the Danish city of Horsens.
South Korea won the Uber Cup for a third time with a 3-1 victory over title-holder China late on Sunday.
Top-ranked An put the Koreans on their way, dismantling world number two Wang Zhiyi 21-10, 21-13.
Uber Cup - Korea 🇰🇷 goes for gold against defending champions China 🇨🇳.#ThomasUberCupFinals#Horsens2026pic.twitter.com/myeCyMSNja
— BWF (@bwfmedia) May 3, 2026
China levelled in the first doubles rubber through Tan Ning and Liu Shengshu, before Kim Ga-eun stunned Chen Yufei 21-19, 21-15 to put South Korea within sight of glory.
Baek Ha-na and Kim Hye-jeong fought back to defeat Jia Yifan and Zhang Shuxian 16-21, 21-10, 21-13 to seal the triumph.
“An started the fire going,” said team captain Lee So-hee, who reserved special praise for Kim Ga-eun following her surprise victory over Tokyo Olympic champion Chen.
“Ga-eun was in a tough match, but she did it, I’m very proud of her.”
Kim, the world number 17, was delighted to have played her part after being dropped from the semi-finals.
“I wasn’t in the lineup for the tie against Indonesia in the semi-finals as I hadn’t played well earlier,” she said.
“But that helped me save energy and it was also good motivation for the game.”
Thomas Cup Champion China poses for a group photo on the podium after beating France in the final. | Photo Credit: Getty Images
Thomas Cup Champion China poses for a group photo on the podium after beating France in the final. | Photo Credit: Getty Images
China, badminton’s superpower, retained its Thomas Cup crown with a 3-1 win over France.
It was France’s first Thomas Cup final, underlining the country’s rise in the sport.
RESULTS
Uber Cup Final - South Korea 3-1 China
Women’s Singles 1 - An Se-young (Kor) bt Wang Zhi Yi (Chn) 21-10, 21-13
Women’s Doubles 1 - Tan Ning/Liu Shengshu (Chn) bt Jeong Na Eun/Lee So Hee (Kor) 21-15, 21-12
Women’s Singles 2 - Kim Ga Eun (Kor) bt Chen Yufei (Chn) 21-19, 21-15
Women’s Doubles 2 - Baek Ha-na/Kim Hye-jeong (Kor) bt Jia Yi Fan/Zhang Shu Xian (Chn) 16-21, 21-10, 21-13
Thomas Cup Final - China 3-1 France
Men’s Singles 1 - Shi Yuqi (Chn) bt Christo Popov (Fra) 21-16, 16-21, 21-17
Men’s Singles 2 - Alex Lanier (Fra) bt Li Shifeng (Chn) 21-13, 21-10
Men’s Singles 3 - Weng Hong Yang (Chn) bt Toma Junior Popov (Fra) 22-20, 20-22, 21-19
Men’s Doubles 1 - He Ji Ting/Ren Xiang Yu (Chn) bt Eloi Adam/Leo Rossi (Fra) 21-13, 21-16
MEDALLISTS
Uber Cup
Gold - South Korea
Silver - China
Bronze - Japan and Indonesia
Thomas Cup
Gold - China
Silver - France
Bronze - India and Denmark
Published on May 04, 2026