On into the finals to defend their title

The Chinese pair JIA Yi Fan and ZHANG Shu Xian are well on their way to defending their women’s doubles title at the Swiss Open: the 2025 tournament winners win their semi-final against their compatriots BAO Li Jing and LUO Xu Min.

Jia/Zhang, currently ranked fourth in the world, are already engaging in long rallies with their opponents in the first set, and both pairs are displaying world-class badminton. The crowd’s sympathies seem to lie a bit more with the defending champions – although Bao/Luo are coming off a victory at the German Open two weeks ago and can therefore also aspire to a place in the final. Despite putting up a spirited fight, the 23-year-old pair Bao/Luo lose the first set 16-21.

Jia Yi Fan has fond memories of more than just last year: in 2017, she was already the winner of the Swiss Open, back then with Chen Qing Chen as her doubles partner. Those fond memories seem to be helping in today’s semi-final – Jia/Zhang defeat their opponents (world No. 110) convincingly 10-21 in the second set and are thus ready for tomorrow’s title match.