Six-in-a-row for China

China's Lin Dan is airborne as he celebrates his win over Japan's Takuma Ueda in the final's of the Sudirman Cup badminton championships in Dongguan in southern China's Guangdong province, Sunday, May 17, 2015. (AP Photo/Kin Cheung)

China won its sixth consecutive Sudirman Cup on Sunday, defeating Japan, which had reached the final for the first time.

China swept Japan 3-0 in a series of tightly contested matches during the final day of the event, with Chinese superstar Lin Dan winning his men’s singles match against Japan’s Takuma Ueda 21-15, 21-13.

China’s Li Xuerui, the top-seeded women’s singles player, exchanged leads with her opponent Akane Yamaguchi in the first game, but eventually won 23-21, 21-14.

China’s Fu Haifeng and Zhang Nan also contributed to the nation’s tenth win at the Sudirman Cup, which was first held in 1989, winning 21-17, 20-22, 21-17 in a tight men’s doubles against Hiroyuki Endo and Kenichi Hayakawa.

The results: China bt Japan 3-0 (Lin Dan bt Takuma Ueda 21-15, 21-13; Li Xuerui bt Akane Yamaguchi 23-21, 21-14; Fu Haifeng & Zhang Nan bt Hiroyuki Endo & Kenichi Hayakawa 21-17, 20-22, 21-17.