Feng Yanzhe and Huang Dongping from China defeat Jafar Hidayatullah and Felisha Pasaribu from Indonesia 2–0. [Photo/BWF]

The 2025 BWF World Tour Finals opened on Dec 17 at the Hangzhou Olympic Sports Center Gymnasium, marking the season-ending showdown of world badminton.

Only the top eight players or pairs in each discipline qualify for the prestigious event. China leads all nations with nine entries, competing in men's singles, women's singles, women's doubles and mixed doubles, with Liang Weikeng and Wang Chang as the country's sole men's doubles pair.

Jia Yifan and Zhang Shuxian are defeated by Malaysia's Pearly Tan and Thinaah Muralitharan 0–2. [Photo/BWF]

The opening day featured several high-profile clashes, including all-Chinese encounters. In the morning session, Wang Zhiyi faced Han Yue in the women's singles, while Jia Yifan and Zhang Shuxian took on Malaysia's Pearly Tan and Thinaah Muralitharan in women's doubles. The evening session saw Shi Yuqi face off against Li Shifeng in the men's singles, followed by Liang and Wang against India's Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty.

With elite competition, home-court advantage, and the sport preparing for an upcoming 15-point scoring reform, the Hangzhou finals are widely seen as a key marker for the next badminton cycle.

China's Wang Zhiyi defeats her teammate Han Yue 2–0. [Photo/BWF]