New heights, new pairing, new winners – the mixed doubles final
Fresh faces will be the essence of the mixed doubles YONEX All England Open 2025 final on Sunday.
All four competitors will take part in their first final in Birmingham, with Wei Ya Xin and Feng Yan Zhe competing in their first final together as a pairing.
Shockwaves went through the badminton world when it was announced that the Chinese pair would not be competing at the All England with their usual partners Jiang Zhen Bang and Huang Dong Ping.
Instead, the duos have swapped partners, as China has one eye on the mixed team Sudirman Cup competition.
It adds an extra layer of impressiveness to the pair’s achievement of making this year’s showpiece.
“Obviously I’m very pleased,” Feng said after their victory over Lee Jong Min and Chae Yu Jung of South Korea in the semi-final.
“As a new pair in our first Super 1000 tournament, to put in this kind of performance we are very surprised.
“As we are a new partnership, everything we encounter and all the challenges we have will be unknown.
“There are things we do well and not so well but want to focus on the process and we don’t want to think too much about outcomes yet.”
While the change in partnerships has come at one of the most prestigious badminton tournaments in the world, Wei revealed that it is not a permanent swap but instead a learning experience.
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She said: “The communication has been different because Feng and my previous partner have different characters.
“Also, their playing styles are different. Feng plays more attention to detail on court whereas my previous partner he focusses more on attack, he was a more violent player.
“I have learnt a lot from my partner and I think this can be brought into my partnership with my previous partner who will be reforming after this, so I will learn from this so I will bring it to my next partnership.”
Before Wei and Feng can even think about returning to their usual partnerships, they must face compatriots Chen Fang Hui and Guo Xin Wa after they knocked out Huang and Jiang in the semi-finals.
For them, this marks a first-ever Super 1000 final, having previously only appeared in the showpiece at Super 500 level or lower.
Chen said: “It hasn’t sunk in yet. My partner and I did really well during the match. We have been preparing our strategies and we used it well on court.
“It didn’t matter if we win or lose, we are just pleased with our performance.
“Since this week I think we trust each other a lot more. On court, we would always want to find solutions together when there’s a challenge and that’s something we did well.”
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The pair have been in a partnership since 2024, winning three World Tour titles together and reaching two further finals.
Sunday’s showpiece will be a step up for them, but the pair’s ability to push each other to be better will stand them in good stead as they try to lift the trophy.
Guo said: “As a pair we are getting better for sure. Our partnership is evolving.
“There’s no denying my partner has made huge improvements and that motivates me as well.”
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Photo courtesy of Badmintonphoto
