Korean women won Uber Cup for the 1st ever time

South Korean women made history in world badminton when they beat mighty China 3-1 in the 2010 Uber Cup final in Stadium Putra, Kuala Lumpur Malaysia, today, Saturday 15 May 2010.

This is the first time ever that Korea won the prestigious tournament - known as the World Cup or World Championship of women badminton.

To make it sweet, they made it after defeating the great wall of China. The mighty Chinese women team won the Uber Cup 11 times since 1984, including 6 times in a row since 1998.

Korea has never won Uber Cup, they came close of winning it 5 times, but each time, ended up in despair, beaten by China in the final of the 1988, 1990, 1992, 2002 and 2004 Uber Cup final.

Before the famous Korean win in 2010, only 4 nations have ever lifted the Cup, the USA, Japan, Indonesia and of course China who dominated the badminton world since the 1980s.

This win maybe equals South Korea's historic campaign in the 2002 soccer World Cup, where they qualified all the way to the semifinal stage - beating the likes of world football super-powers - Portugal, Italy and Spain. Korea was finally beaten by Germany 0-1 in the semifinal. It was the first time ever that an Asian team, progressed into the semifinal of any World Cup tournament.

In the Uber Cup today, South Korean women showed tremendous fighting spirit and gritty display to finally dispose China's long time reign as undisputed Queen of world Women Badminton.


Bae Seung Hee of Korea jubilates after her epic 23-21, 21-11 win over world no.1 Wang Yihan of China in the 1st match of the 2010 Uber Cup final.

In the 1st match, unheralded and virtually unknown, world no. 16, Bae Seung Hee, against all odds beat world no. 1 and 2009 All England champion, Wang Yihan 23-21, 21-11, to start Korea's glorious and historic triumphant night. The match will be long remembered by Koreans as the start of the cracking of the Great Wall of China. Scoreline, Korea 1-0 China.

In the 1st doubles match, the scoreline was further 2-0 in favour of Korea when underdogs Lee Hyo Jung/Kim Min Jung unexpectedly beat world no. 1 Ma Jin/Wang Xiaoli 21-18, 12-21, 21-15.

In the 3rd match, world no. 2 Wang Xin of China knows she must beat Sung Ji Hyun, to keep China's title hope alive. And she did it, beating Ji Hyun 21-14 in the 1st set, before getting a fright in the 2nd set when Wang Xin went down 16-21. However in the deciding set, Wang Xin, the sweet girl prevailed 21-7. Thus keeping China's hope alive, albeit briefly and temporarily.

Korea clinched the 2010 Uber Cup in the 4th match of the final pitting their 2nd doubles, Lee Hyung Won/Ha Jung Eun against the 2008 Olympic Champion Du Jing and Yu Yang.

The Chinese pair won the 1st set 19-21 but lost the next 2 sets 21-14, 21-19. Korea won the Uber Cup for the first time ever. Hyung Won and Jung Eun were mobbed and hugged to the ground by their overjoyed team-mates. Millions more Korean watching on TV worldwide, jubilates!!!

Bravo Korea... Sorry China...