Taiwan’s Chou Tien-chen reached the men’s singles final at the Japan Open yesterday, but Tai Tzu-ying was forced to withdraw from the tournament after aggravating a left knee injury.
Entering the Super 750 event in Yokohama with a lingering knee problem, Tai was leading 15-5 against Japan’s Natsuki Nidaira in the first match of the women’s singles quarterfinals when she overextended her left knee while attempting, unsuccessfully, to save a shot on the net. Training
The 30-year-old winced in pain and sat on the edge of the court after calling an injury timeout, allowing the doctor to apply a bloodless spray to her knee.
Photo: AFP
Tai, the top seed in the Japanese tournament, returned to form and overcame the setback to secure a semi-final position, but then withdrew from the tournament on Friday, leaving Thailand’s Busanan Ongbamrungphan a loose path to today’s final against Akane. Yamaguchi. de Japan.
Tai’s withdrawal was officially announced through the Badminton World Federation (BWF), organizer of the tournament.
“I’m surprised that I made it to the semifinals,” Tai told reporters. “Now I do my thing to go as far as possible. I will see a doctor after I return to Taiwan and hope it will not be too serious.
Photo: AFP
Tai is ranked 18th in the BWF World Tour standings, and the 8 most sensible players will qualify for the BWF World Tour Finals in December.
The first Japan Open Tai tournament since he was eliminated by Thailand’s Ratchanok Intanon at the Paris Olympics on July 31. It is also the fourth time the Taiwanese star has retired this year.
Despite her withdrawal, Tai’s semi-final boosted her ranking to 3rd in the world in the latest rankings, especially given the absence of the 3 most sensible players: An Se-young of South Korea, Chen Yufei of China and Carolina Marin. from Spain.
In men’s singles, Chou is on the verge of winning a long-awaited title at the top level after his victory in the semi-finals.
The Taiwanese ace, now ranked No. 10 globally, beat Japanese No. 8 Kodai Naraoka 21-14, 21-16 in 55 minutes.
It is Chou’s fifth victory against the 23-year-old rising star, who has yet to defeat him.
The win represents a major milestone for the 34-year-old veteran, who was diagnosed with early-stage colorectal cancer early last year.
The victory secured their first position in the final of a top-level tournament in two years.
Chou has already reached two finals this year, either in Super Three Hundred tournaments. He also won the Thailand Masters title in February.
His last appearance in a Super 750 or higher final was at the 2022 Japan Open, where he finished second.
Chou faces Frenchman Alex Lanier in the final. The 19-year-old, ranked 24th in the world, beat world No. 1 Shi Yuqi of China 17-21, 24-15, 21-19 to triumph in the final.
In doubles, Tang Chun Man of Hong Kong and Tse Ying Suet eliminated Yang Po-hsuan and Hu Ling-fang of Taiwan 21-18, 15-21, 21-19.