Hong Kong were one of the two nations to lose to China today at the BWF World Junior Mixed Team Championships ©Badminton Canada

Defending champions China continued their strong start to the 2018 Badminton World Federation (BWF) World Junior Mixed Team Championships in Canada today, by beating both Australia and Hong Kong in comfortable fashion.

Their matches at the Pan Am Centre in Markham today finished 5-0 and 3-0 respectively, meaning the Chinese have won all three of their ties so far without losing a match, having also beaten Germany yesterday 5-0 in Group A.

In their first tie today against Australia, the reigning champions went 1-0 up when Weikeng Liang and Yichen Shang beat Ricky Tang and Kai Chen Teoh in the men’s doubles, 21-14, 21-9.

Meng Zhou then won the women’s singles tie 21-10, 21-11 against Zecily Fung, before Weiyi Zhang sealed the overall win by beating Peter Yan in the men’s singles 21-8, 21-12.

By that point from Australia’s point of view the tie was already lost, but it went from bad to worse for the team from down under as their women’s doubles pair then lost 8-21, 6-21 to Yuting Xia and Shuxian Zhang.

China’s 5-0 victory was then complete when Zijiang Di and Yijing Li won the mixed doubles tie 21-21, 21-8 against Jodie Vega and Ryan Venpin.

Later on in the day against Hong Kong it was much the same story, although this time around the match was ended as soon as China took an unassailable 3-0 lead.

Starting with the mixed doubles this time, Xinwa Guo and Xuanxuan Liu beat Pak Ngai Mak and Sze Lok Leung 21-9, 21-7, before in the men’s singles Shifeng Li beat Shing Hei Ko 21-8, 21-17.

In all, 36 teams are taking part in the competition ©Badminton Canada
In all, 36 teams are taking part in the competition ©Badminton Canada

China’s third win of the tournament was then completed when Zijian Di and Chang Wang beat Hin Long Chow and Chun Wai Lui 21-15, 21-11.

With the result then confirmed, the final two ties in women’s singles and women’s doubles, were not played.

Elsewhere in today’s play there were some closer match ups however.

In Group H England faced Austria, which ended 3-2 in the favour of the English.

In the crucial third tie of the contest, with England leading 2-0, Raphaela Winkler kept her country in it by coming from behind in her women’s singles match against Abbygael Harris to win 12-21, 21=19, 21-14.

The tie lastest 54 minutes making it one of the longest of the day.

The longest single match however, took place in France’s tie against Brazil in Group D.

With the French 2-1 up following the mixed doubles, men’s singles and women’s singles, Kenji Lovang and Christo Popov took to the court knowing a win would seal victory for their country.

Eventually they beat Fabricio Farias and Jonathan Mattias 17-21, 21-16, 27-25, but it took them 55 minutes.