Blockbuster at the Joggelihalle: Chen Yu Fei as the Leading Actress

The women's final of the YONEX Swiss Open was a cinematic spectacle. Cast as the leading actresses were two well-known and highly successful faces from the international badminton scene: the 30-year-old Line Kjaersfeldt, a 17-time European champion in various categories and currently ranked 21st in the world, and Chen Yu Fei, 27, the current number 13 of the world and Olympic champion from Tokyo 2021.

Want more numbers? Here you go:
- Line Kjaersfeldt: 297 wins on the BWF Tour with 215 losses; prize money earned: $212,000.
- Chen Yu Fei: 376 wins with 108 losses; prize money earned: $1.37 million.

This shows that not only in Hollywood but also in badminton, one can become a millionaire – this sport certainly offers good earnings; it is not a low-budget discipline. These are impressive statistics from two players who have been competing on the tour for over a decade. They have faced each other several times in the same arena: the Asian player won four times, while the European player claimed victory once, with her last win dating back five years.

With this Oscar-worthy setup, the two entered the Basel final in front of over 4,000 spectators. The match delivered what the audience hoped for, evolving into an action-packed spectacle filled with special effects and some original twists crafted by the scriptwriters – in this case, the badminton gods.

In the first set, it seemed for a long time that Line Kjaersfeldt would take the lead, but in the end – when she was briefly relegated to a supporting role – she relinquished her advantage: 17-21. The second set remained a close contest as well. However, it did not turn into an epic film, nor was it a short film. Instead, the final was somewhat of a middle ground, lasting 49 minutes, roughly the length typical of a Netflix series. Ultimately, the Chinese player also secured the second set with the same result as the first.

It was clear: Chen Yu Fei would go down in history as the leading actress of the YONEX Swiss Open 2025, just as she had in 2019 when she also won the tournament. Basel seems to suit her well; that same year, she also earned a bronze medal at the Badminton World Championships in the St. Jakobshalle.

For Line Kjaersfeldt, however, only a supporting role remained. She proved that she has what it takes to play a leading role in future plots. (AWS)