China eased past France and Brazil, both by 5-0, in the group play of the badminton mixed team event of the FISU World University Games here on Sunday, the first game day of the sport.
In the men’s doubles opener, Ren Xiangyu and Tan Qiang held off the fierce attacks, claiming a convincing 2-0 win over their French opponents to help the Chinese team build up the winning momentum.
“This is my first time competing in such a high-level competition, so I really want to show what I can do to fight for more honors for China,” said Tan Qiang.
“We will adjust ourselves and put more effort in training, as we now know more about the wind and drift on court,” the 25-year-old added.
Xia Yuting and Li Wenmei clinched a 2-0 victory in the women’s doubles. “It is the first time for me to pair with Li Wenmei, and we have been encouraging each other. I think our overall performance was very good,” Xia said.
South Korea and Chinese Taipei also thrashed their opponents without losing a single match, while Malaysia defeated Singapore and the United States by 5-0 and 4-1, respectively.
The badminton tournament is seeing a field of 17 teams with a total of 213 players at the ongoing Chengdu Universiade.
