China has been the undisputed dominant force in badminton and table tennis at the Asian Games. It’s supremacy is unparalled.
Therefore, what transpired in the men’s team finals of the two disciplines in the space of a few hours at the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games 2026 on Thursday was nothing short of an absolute shocker.
In table tennis, China had 11 men’s team gold medals to its name. It had won every final since 1994. An inspired and highly motivated Japanese squad, playing in front of a boisterous home crowd, ended that streak in an incredible manner.
In the final, a series of five singles rubbers, China drew first blood as World No. 1 Wang Chuqin came from behind to stun World No. 3 Sora Matsushima 3-2 (5-11, 8-11, 11-9, 11-9, 11-9). Japanese No. 2 Tomokazu Harimoto levelled the tie with a 3-1 (11-7, 8-11, 11-4, 11-9) victory over Wen Ruibo.
Lin Shidong restored China’s advantage as he took down Shunsuke Togami 3-1 (11-9, 4-11, 11-7, 11-6).
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Wang Chuqin was expected to wrap up the contest and seal yet another gold medal for China. In the fourth singles, he was up against Harimoto. The Chinese paddler had a massive 14-3 head-to-head advantage going into the contest.
But Harimoto had other ideas. He played one of the best matches of his life to blank Wang Chuqin 3-0 (11-7, 11-4, 11-9) and keep the host’s title hopes alive.
Then, it was down to the battle between Matsushima and Wen Ruibo, two 19-year-old paddlers who are the future of the sport. Matsushima took the lead as he bagged the opening game 11-7 but Ruibo bounced back to clinch the second 11-8. Matsushima gained his composure to win the third game 11-6.
In the fourth game, Matsushima led 9-4. He was on the cusp of history and that is why, he probably became a bit passive and lost the next three points. But an unforced backhand error from Ruibo meant the Japanese teenager had three gold medal points. Matsushima squandered the first opportunity as his backhand return clipped the net and went out. On the second match point, Japan’s wait for a first men’s team gold medal in 60 years finally ended as Ruibo netted a forehand.
Indonesia’s Moh Zaki Ubaidillah celebrates with teammates after his win against China’s Weng Hongyang in the men’s badminton team final at the Asian Games in Ichinomiya City, Japan, on Thursday.
| Photo Credit:
AP
Indonesia’s Moh Zaki Ubaidillah celebrates with teammates after his win against China’s Weng Hongyang in the men’s badminton team final at the Asian Games in Ichinomiya City, Japan, on Thursday.
| Photo Credit:
AP
Around the same time, Chinese men were also involved in an exciting team final in badminton. With Shi Yu Qi beating Jonatan Christie 21-13, 21-18, and Liang Wei Keng and Wang Chang defeating Fajar Alfian and Muh. Shohibul Fikri 22-20, 19-21, 21-14, China was in a strong position to defend its gold from 2023.
Alwi Farhan, the 2023 Junior World Champion, started Indonesia’s revival with a superb 23-21, 15-21, 21-16 victory over Li Shifeng. R. Leo Carnando and Daniel Marthin levelled the tie as they took down He Ji Ting and Liu Yi 23-21 in the second doubles.
All eyes were on Mohd. Zaki Ubaidillah, the 2025 Junior World Championships silver medallist, and Weng Hongyang. At the previous edition in Hangzhou, China has come from 0-2 down to beat India in the final with Weng winning the all-important fifth match against Mithun Manjunath. However, this time, the Chinese shuttler could not rescue his team.
Ubaidillah saved multiple game points in the opener before stealing it 23-21. In the second game, he had the upper hand from the beginning and eventually, sealed the deal with a crosscourt smash at 20-13. Indonesia won the men’s team gold for the first time since 1998 when the legendary Taufik Hidayat was a member of the squad.
It was China’s sixth loss in 12 men’s team finals in badminton.“That we beat them was proof that we had lacked confidence before,” said Tomokazu Harimoto, whose sister Miwa plays for Japan’s women’s team.
“I’m happy, but looking at the actual contest, there was nothing unusual about the way we played or the outcome.
“We just managed to attain the one thing we’d been missing — confidence.”
“China used to have six or seven strong players, that’s why their era lasted 10 or 20 years,” Harimoto added.
“Now with two of us in the world top five, Matsushima and I can win like this.”
(With inputs from AFP)
Published on Sep 25, 2026
