China retain Uber Cup

Defending champions China easily beat hosts Indonesia 3-0 to win its sixth straight Uber Cup title on Saturday.

Xie Xinfang set the tone for China with a 21-8, 21-15 win over Maria Kristin in the first singles.

China took a 2-0 lead when Yang Wei and Zhang Jiewen posted a 21-15, 19-21, 21-16 doubles win over Lilyana Natsir and Marissa Vita. Lu Lan completed the victory with a 21-12, 21-10 win over Adriyanti Firdasari in second singles match.

Xie, No 1 in the world rankings, was in control from the outset, racing out to a 10-2 lead in the first game en route to winning the match in 42 minutes. A boisterous capacity crowd didn't distract Xie from the task at hand.

"In my first two matches of the tournament I struggled with the noise from the crowd," Xie said. "But I learned to cope and have been getting better and better. Today, it all came together."

The victory was China's eleventh since 1984. Indonesia is the only other country to win since then, taking the elite women's tournament in 1994 and 1996.

Kristin, who committed a rash of unforced errors, said Xie is tough to beat when she's on her game.

"She is so tall and has such quick smashes," said Kristin. "It's difficult to play against her. I think there are only about two or three players in the world who have a realistic chance of beating her."

Xie said the win bodes well for the China's prospects at the Beijing Olympics.

"Anytime you win a tournament like Uber Cup it gives you confidence and a morale boost heading to Olympics," Xie said.

The final of the men's Thomas Cup will be played pn Sunday with defending champion China taking on South Korea.