When the LI-NING China Masters 2025 draw came out, it offered Ruttanapak Oupthong and Jhenicha Sudjaipraparat a chance at redemption.

Twice before, they had faced Thom Gicquel and Delphine Delrue and walked away defeated both times. But this time, armed with meticulous preparation, the Thai duo stepped onto the court with quiet determination.

The sixth seeds dominated the first game 21-12 but Sudjaipraparat and Oupthong didn’t flinch. True to Sudjaipraparat’s mantra of staying grounded, it was “step by step, one match at a time”.

In the second game, they found their groove, pushing back with relentless energy and clever court coverage to level the score with a 21-16 win.

The decider was a war of nerves. Down 11-9 at the interval, the world No.16s stayed close and composed before a five-point burst at 14-all broke the deadlock. From there, they never looked back.

“It was all about moving them around the court and staying aggressive,” Oupthong reflected.

“We didn’t stop trying new things when a move wasn’t successful. It’s satisfying because they also were able to find quick answers.”

Sudjaipraparat revealed: “We watched our previous matches, analysed their strengths and weaknesses and came up with a game plan. We are very happy to get one over them.

“We prepared well and we could win.”

They did, with a game plan that finally paid off.

OTHER HIGHLIGHTS

• Men’s doubles seventh seeds Sabar Karyaman Gutama/Moh Reza Isfahani Pahlevi’s campaign ended at the hands of former world champions Takuro Hoki/Yugo Kobayashi.
• Nhat Nguyen sprang a 22-20 21-14 surprise over another former world champion – men’s singles eighth seed Loh Kean Yew.

→ Results (Day 1)

→ Order of play (Day 2)