Feng Yanzhe (R) and Huang Dongping of China pose with their trophies on the podium after the Mixed Doubles Final match against Jiang Zhenbang and Wei Yaxin of China during day five of the BWF World Tour Finals 2025 at Hangzhou Olympic Sports Centre Stadium on December 21, 2025 in Hangzhou, East China's Zhejiang Province. Photo: VCG

On the final day of the 2025 BWF World Tour Finals on Sunday, where the season champions were crowned, Team China secured both gold and silver in mixed doubles. The tournament began on December 17 at the Hangzhou Olympic Sports Centre Gymnasium in Hangzhou, East China's Zhejiang Province.

In the finals on Sunday, Team China competed in four events: mixed doubles, women's singles, men's singles, and men's doubles. In the mixed doubles event, China secured both the gold and silver medals in advance, as both finalist pairs were from China. 

The pair Feng Yanzhe and Huang Dongping ultimately defeated their teammates Jiang Zhenbang and Wei Yaxin 2-0 to claim the championship. Inspired by their surname "Feng" and "Huang," the duo is affectionately dubbed by fans as the "Fenghuang pair," or also known as the "phoenix pair." The two shuttlers demonstrated strong rapport and resilience during the competition. 

They took the opening game decisively, winning 21-12. In the second game, their Chinese counterparts, Jiang Zhenbang and Wei Yaxin, launched a fierce counterattack, even overturning the score at one point. Yet, under such challenging circumstances, the "phoenix pair" managed to regain the lead and ultimately clinched the victory. 

"This match was not an easy one. Even when their opponents made errors, Feng and Huang still had to fight hard, especially with Huang's performance at the net," Fu Liangxing, a badminton expert and coach in Shanghai, told the Global Times. 

In Saturday's semifinals, the "Fenghuang" pair faced off against the Japanese duo of Hiroki Midorikawa and Natsu Saito, advancing to the final with a 2-1 victory. Fu told the Global Times that the key to the Chinese team's success was "accurately identifying the Japanese shuttlers' playstyle of resilience and composure." As early as the semifinals of the 2025 Sudirman Cup in May, the Chinese team had already faced the Japanese mixed doubles team and ultimately emerged victorious.

Of all the final competitions on Sunday, the women's singles match featuring Chinese shuttler Wang Zhiyi and South Korea's An Se-young was one of the most intense competitions. 

Although An Se-young clinched the championship with a 2-1 victory, this match showcased the resilience of Wang Zhiyi. After losing the first game, she swiftly bounced back to claim the second game.

Prior to the final against her, Wang Zhiyi said in an after-match press interview that each match against the South Korean player was "extremely challenging" and that she had prepared for the toughest scenario in Sunday's match. Prior to the final, Wang defeated Thailand's star Ratchanok Intanon during the semifinals. 

China's star shuttler Shi Yuqi finished as the runner-up in the men's singles at the 2025 BWF World Tour Finals, losing to France's Christo Popov in the final. This came after Shi was recently honored as both the most popular male player of the year and the male singles player of the year for 2025 by the BWF. Despite losing the match, professionals still have high expectations for Shi.

"Shi, as China's leading men's singles player, has developed a more mature playing style and a stable mindset, making him the most anticipated Chinese athlete for the next Olympic cycle," Fu noted.

As the final match of the tour finals, the Chinese men's doubles pair Liang Weikeng and Wang Chang claimed the silver medal after losing to their South Korean opponents in the final.