5-0 against Finland, China open Sudirman Cup with strong form for title defence

Defending champions China won overwhelmingly against hosts Finland in the opening day of the BWF team event Sudirman Cup on Sunday at Vantaa, Finland.

China's Lu Guangzu faced tough challenge from the Finland opponent Kalle Koljonen in men's singles and it took 62 minutes for the Chinese to win at the Energia Areena stadium.

All the other Chinese players finished their respected matches within half hour.

China have sent strong team for the title defence, including Tokyo Olympic Champions Chen Yufei, Wang Yilv and Huang Dongping of mixed doubles.

Chinese players have been absent from most of the BWF circuit since the COVID-19 pandemic began impacting the calendar last March.