Wheelchair player Qu Zimao won a triple crown on home soil at the China Para-Badminton International 2019 that concluded in Hangzhou yesterday.
Qu, second-seeded in men’s singles WH 1, beat compatriot Yang Tong in the final, 21-5 21-11. He then returned for the doubles (WH 1 – WH 2) with Mai Jianpeng. Yang Tong was once again at the receiving end, as he and Zhao Xin lost the final, 21-16 21-12 to Qu and Mai.
Qu had earlier won the mixed doubles (WH 1 – WH 2) with Liu Yutong, the Chinese duo winning all four of their group matches and finishing ahead of Yang Tong and Li Hongyan.
Two-time world champion Liu Yutong remained unbeaten in her women’s singles WH 2 category. Liu eased past Thailand’s Amnouy Wetwithan, 21-10 21-5 in her final group match.
Other double titlists included India’s Pramod Bhagat, China’s Cheng Hefang and Hong Kong’s Chu Man Kai.
Bhagat, top seed in the men’s singles Standing Lower (SL 3) category, overcame a first game loss to beat England’s Daniel Bethell 19-21 21-13 21-14. Bhagat returned with Manoj Sarkar for the men’s doubles SL 3 – SL 4 final and the duo beat compatriots Umesh Vikram Kumar and Suhas Yathiraj in three games for the title.
Cheng Hefang, top seed in SL 4, was too good for compatriot Ma Huihui in the women’s singles final. The two later teamed up for the women’s doubles (SL 3 – SU 5) final and outplayed second seeds Noriko Ito and Ayako Suzuki 21-8 21-7.
In the Short Stature (SS 6) events, Chu Man Kai overcame second seed Krysten Coombs (England) 21-7 21-16 to win his second title following his success in the men’s doubles with compatriot Wong Chun Yim. The Hong Kong duo won all four of their group matches and finished ahead of China’s Luo Guangliang/Lin Naili.
Two-time SS 6 men’s singles world champion Jack Shephard was beaten in the semi-finals by his compatriot Krysten Coombs.