On June 30, the U18 Women’s Basketball Asia Cup Final will pit China against Australia. For China, it presents a chance for redemption after two years, as they have the ace in their deck, Zhang Ziyu, providing a significant boost to the team’s confidence. In the previous U18 Asian Championship final, China was defeated by Australia, settling for second place.
In this tournament, China has performed impressively, securing convincing victories in all four of their matches so far. They defeated Indonesia by 59 points, New Zealand by 22 points, Japan by 16 points, and Korea by 18 points. Zhang Ziyu has been a standout player, averaging 33.3 points, 12.5 rebounds, and 2.7 assists per game, topping the scoring and rebounding charts. Her performance has made this edition of the U18 Women’s Asian Championship a hit.
Nonetheless, the final against Australia will be China’s sternest test. The Australians have also won all their four games, narrowly defeating Japan by 5 points in the semifinals and thrashing Korea by 33 points, while China beat Korea by 18 points. Their center, Somfai, averages 21 points and 10.3 rebounds per game, making her the team’s star player.
Zhang Ziyu, standing at over 2.2 meters, holds a towering advantage over the 1.92-meter Somfai, which could neutralize Australia’s strengths. With Zhang as the focal point, China’s other players need to focus on feeding her the ball and collectively reinforcing their defense against the Australian perimeter threats. For China, overcoming Australia should not be an insurmountable task. A victory would see them reclaim the title they last won four years ago.