HORSENS (Denmark), May 3 (Bernama-Xinhua) -- Defending champion China will face first-time finalist France in the Thomas Cup final after both teams recorded straight-sets victories in the semifinals here on Saturday, Xinhua reported, setting up a clash between a traditional powerhouse and an emerging European contender.
World champion and world No. 1 Shi Yuqi gave China the perfect start with a dominant 21-16, 21-5 win over world No. 3 Anders Antonsen in just 44 minutes.
Shi, who missed the last two group matches due to acute gastroenteritis, said he had almost recovered.
"Missing two group matches gave me time to rest, which turned out to be an advantage. What really helped me was staying focused and being determined to give my team a 1-0 lead," said the 30-year-old.
In the doubles, Liang Weikeng and Wang Chang extended China's advantage by beating Kim Astrup and Anders Skaarup Rasmussen 21-18, 21-17 in 34 minutes.
"We were prepared for a tough battle against the host players, who are experienced and backed by strong home support," Wang said. "We felt the pressure, especially at the end of the first game when the score was very close."
World No. 7 Li Shifeng then secured China's place in the final by overcoming a second-game setback to defeat Magnus Johannesen 21-19, 18-21, 21-9 in 73 minutes.
"I wanted to play more aggressively, but I had to stay patient and build the points one by one," Li said.
In the other semifinal, a youthful French squad led by rising star Alex Lanier and the Popov brothers swept India 3-0 to reach the Thomas Cup final for the first time in the nation's history.
"We have been in a competitive mindset from the beginning, and the team atmosphere has been very positive. All matches have been very close. We faced some difficult moments, but overall we performed well," said Christophe Jeanjean, France's team manager.
Looking ahead to the final, he stressed a simple approach: "Recover well, follow our routine, and be ready to give everything. It will be a close match. We just want to play our own game."
Earlier on Sunday, China will face South Korea in the Uber Cup final before contesting the Thomas Cup final in the evening.
-- BERNAMA-XINHUA
