China Masters: Liu/Hsu Tame World Champs

Thom Gicquel/Delphine Delrue found their first test as world champions a painful one as Liu Kuang Heng/Hsu Yin-hui stunned them 23-21 21-10 in just 38 minutes in the LI-NING China Masters 2026 opening round on Wednesday.

Liu/Hsu produced a composed and aggressive display to subdue the French duo, who claimed the world title just two Sundays ago.

Trailing 19-17, Liu/Hsu fought back to level the score before saving a game point and eventually closing out the game 23-21. That breakthrough proved decisive – with the pressure shifting firmly onto the French, Liu/Hsu raced through the second game 21-10.

“Knowing they had just become world champions, we naturally really wanted to challenge them; we wanted to beat them even more,” said Liu.

Hsu added: “It was our offence; we did what we were supposed to and executed our game plan well. That gave us the platform to build on early on.”

Winning such a tight game also gave the world No.48 duo a significant psychological boost.

“The pressure was on them and our mood was good. It allowed us to continue sticking to our style, with even more confidence,” said Liu.

Liu/Hsu won the US Open in late June before finishing runners-up at the Canada Open the following week, underlining their steady rise as a partnership.

For Hsu, that progress has been built on details rather than any single secret.

“The main reason is our communication and that we had set up our serves and receives well,” she said. “We’ve been working on them in training and it’s now showing results.”

For Gicquel and Delrue, the defeat was a stark reminder that as world champions, they are now a much sought-after scalp.

“It wasn’t a good performance,” admitted Gicquel. “The start was okay but then we got a bit stressed. We forgot to play and make them move.”