China charge into BAMTC 2025 Finals after epic showdown against Japan

China kept their hopes of a third consecutive Badminton Asia Mixed Team Championships (BAMTC) title alive, battling past Japan in a gruelling, five hours and 20-minute semifinal thriller to clinch a hard-fought 3-2 victory today. Both teams fielded their strongest lineups in a clash worthy of a final, with Japan striking first. World No.12 duo Hiroki Midorikawa/Natsu Saito gave Japan the early lead, defeating Gao Jia Xuan/Wu Meng Ying in straight games 21-15, 21-16. But China responded swiftly with women’s singles star Chen Yu Fei delivering a commanding performance, eventually shocking world No.8 Tomoko Miyazaki 21-16, 21-17 to level the tie at 1-1. Next, young sensation Hu Zhe An continued his impressive run in the tournament, clinching his fourth consecutive victory with a remarkable comeback win over world No.25 Yushi Tanaka, a 7-21, 21-17, 21-11 win which put China ahead 2-1. Japan, however, refused to back down. Women’s doubles pair Arisa Igarashi/Ayaka Sakuramoto kept their team’s hopes alive with a straightforward 21-16, 21-18 win over Cheng Qing Chen/Wang Ting Ge, forcing a decisive fifth match. That set the stage for an electrifying men’s doubles showdown, where Chen Xu Jun/Huang Di faced off against Kenya Mitsuhashi/Hiroki Okumura in a pulsating 74-minute battle. The Japanese duo took the first game 22-20, but Chen/Huang fought back to claim the second 21-17. The decider was a rollercoaster—Japan led at the interval and seemed poised for victory.  However, backed by a roaring home crowd, the Chinese pair staged a stunning comeback from six points down, reeling off eight consecutive points to seal a sensational 20-15 win and send China into the final. 

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