China's Feng Yanzhe (left) returns a shot during the mixed doubles final at the China Masters in Shenzhen on September 6, 2026. Photo: Cui Meng/GT

The 2026 China Masters concluded in Shenzhen, South China's Guangdong Province on Sunday with the hosts China claiming only one title on home soil, while India and Japan took the men's and women's doubles crowns respectively and Hong Kong players made history with an all-Hong Kong men's singles final.

The most unusual result of the tournament, however, came in men's singles. Team Hong Kong secured both finalists after Lee Cheuk-yiu and Jason Gunawan won their respective semifinals on Saturday.

The all-Hong Kong final was a rare sight at a BWF World Tour Super 750 event and guaranteed the Hong Kong delegation both the gold and silver medals before the final was played.

Gunawan then completed his breakthrough tournament by defeating Lee 21-9, 21-16 in the final to claim the men's singles title.

Women's world No.1 An Se-young also underlined her dominance in women's singles, defeating Japan's Tomoka Miyazaki 21-17, 21-6 to win her third consecutive China Masters title. The South Korean, who recently claimed her second world title, did not drop a game in five matches in Shenzhen and extended her winning streak to 33 matches.

In the mixed doubles, China's top seeds Feng Yanzhe and Huang Dongping defeated Malaysia's Hoo Pang Ron and Lai Pei Jing 21-19, 21-16 to claim their second China Masters title.

But the Chinese team's one-gold, two-silver finish also highlighted the growing challenges China faces from across Asia, particularly after the hosts entered the final day with three chances for gold. The result offered a reminder that China's traditional strength in badminton is facing increasingly strong competition from across Asia.

India's Chirag Shetty and Satwiksairaj Rankireddy react during the men's doubles final match against China's He Jiting and Ren Xiangyu at the China Masters badminton tournament in Shenzhen, South China's Guangdong Province, on September 6, 2026. Photo: Cui Meng/GT

India's Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty defeated China's He Jiting and Ren Xiangyu 2-1 in a tightly contested men's doubles final, while Japan's Sumire Nakade and Miyu Takahashi beat China's Bao Lijing and Cao Zihan 2-0 in women's doubles.

Rankireddy and Shetty, seeded fourth, came from behind to defeat He and Ren in a three-game final and claim their first China Masters title.

It was the Indian pair's third appearance in the China Masters final. Their previous two attempts ended in defeat, but they finally broke through this time to secure their 10th BWF World Tour title.

In women's doubles, China's Bao and Cao saw their surprise run come to an end in the final, losing 18-21, 18-21 to Japan's Nakade and Takahashi.

Bao and Cao nevertheless produced one of the tournament's biggest breakthroughs. The pair only became a fixed partnership in May and entered their first BWF World Tour Super 750 event through ranking points. They went on to reach the final without dropping a game in the knockout stage before finishing runners-up.

The women's doubles result also highlighted the depth of Japan's challenge to the Chinese contingent. Nakade and Takahashi had beaten compatriots Sayaka Hirota and Ayako Sakuramoto in a three-game semifinal before overcoming the Chinese pair in the final.

The women's doubles final between Japan's Sumire Nakade and Miyu Takahashi and China's Bao Lijing and Cao Zihan Photo: Cui Meng/GT

The China Masters, a BWF World Tour Super 750 tournament, was held in Shenzhen from September 1 to 6.

With the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games just around the corner, many of the players who battled in Shenzhen are likely to meet again on the Asian stage later this month.