BEIJING, March 16 (Xinhua) -- Here are the latest Chinese sports headlines from the past week:
1. Chinese shuttlers win three titles at badminton French Open
China won three of the five gold medals on offer at the badminton French Open in men's singles, women's doubles and mixed doubles on March 10.
World No. 1 Chen Qingchen and Jia Yifan saved five match points to edge Japanese pair Matsuyama Nami/Shida Chiharu 21-12, 19-21, 24-22 for the women's doubles title.
Shi Yuqi beat the reigning world champion Kunlavut Vitidsarn of Thailand in a closely contested men's singles final that ended 22-20, 21-19.
In the mixed doubles, Feng Yanzhe and Huang Dongping easily overcame the challenge posed by South Korean world champions Seo Seung-Jae and Chai Yu-Jung, winning 21-16, 21-16.
However, Chen/Jia and Shi were upset at the following All England Open in second round on March 14 and 15 respectively.
2. Wang Chuqin/Sun Yingsha win mixed doubles title at WTT Singapore Smash
China's top-ranked mixed doubles pair Wang Chuqin and Sun Yingsha dispatched world No. 3 Lim Jong-hoon and Shin Yu-bin of South Korea 3-1 in the final to claim their third consecutive World Table Tennis (WTT) Singapore Smash title on March 15.
"Both pairs played excellently, and we are quite familiar with each other. Lim and Shin are among the world's top players in terms of their strength in the singles event and overall capability, so we went all out on the court," commented Sun.
In addition to mixed doubles success, China also ensured themselves of women's singles and men's doubles titles, with all semifinalists from the table tennis powerhouse.
3. Shanghai to stage Olympic Qualifier Series in May
Shanghai will hold the Olympic Qualifier Series for BMX freestyle, skateboarding, breaking and sport climbing in mid-May at the Huangpu Riverside.
The preliminary rounds will take place on May 16 and 17, and the final rounds will be held on May 18 and 19.
A total of 464 athletes are expected to compete in the event, including a number of Olympic champions and world champions.
4. Shandong Taishan knocked out of AFC Champions League quarterfinals
Shandong Taishan bowed out of the AFC Champions League quarterfinals after a 1-0 home loss to Japan's Yokohama F. Marinos on March 13.
The 2023 Chinese Super League champions, the only Chinese club in the last eight, lost 2-1 away a week earlier in the first leg and was unable to turn their fortune around in front of home fans.
"Due to fatigue, we didn't seize the chance to win. We saw both our advantages and disadvantages in this tournament," Shandong Taishan head coach Choi Kang-hee said.
5. China's Yuan ends dream run in Indian Wells quarterfinals
China's Yuan Yue fell to American Coco Gauff 6-4, 6-3 in the women's singles quarterfinals at the Indian Wells Masters on March 14.
Yuan, fresh from winning her first WTA Tour title at the 2024 ATX Open, had her best run in Indian Wells. After eased past Varvara Gracheva in the first round, Yuan edged compatriot Zheng Qinwen in the second round and defeated No. 11 seed Daria Kasatkina in three sets to make the quarters, but was no match for world No. 3 Gauff.
Wang Xinyu crashed out in the second round, so did her male counterparts Shang Juncheng and Zhang Zhizhen.■
