QINGDAO and HUNAN to fight for Chinese Badminton Super League title

After almost two months of playing, this year’s first ever Chinese Badminton Super League has come to an end. The year’s two finalists are Qingdao and Hunan who will play the final this Thursday and Sunday.

Qingdao was expected to be in the final as they finished in the top 3 after the second round robin stage. In the semi finals against Jiangsu, they were defeated 3-2  whereas Qingdao won by a bigger margin at home, 3-0. As each club won once, they had to play a rubber tie and Qingdao defeated Jiangsu 3-0 to advance to the final.

In the other semi-final, Hunan, the dark horse, defeated Chinese People’s Liberation Army (the strongest club led by Lin Dan and Jiang Yanjiao). Chinese People’s Liberation Army was ranked first after second round robin stage. In the semi-finals, Hunan lost to Chinese People’s Liberation Army 1-3 at home whilst Chinese People’s Liberation Army lost to Hunan 2-3 at home. As each club won once, they have to play a tie. At last, Hunan defeated Chinese People’s Liberation Army 3-1 with the absence of Lin Dan in the tie.

The finals will start this Thursday August 5th for the first leg in Hunan while the second leg will be held this coming Sunday, in Qingdao, home of the 2011 Sudirman Cup. The chances of Qingdao winning this Chinese Badminton Super League is very high as the overall players’ strength are better than Hunan on paper. But the dark horse, Hunan, may turns the odds around and win this first edition of the reborn China Super League.

By Lee Suet Yan