Taiwan’s Tai Tzu-ying yesterday defeated Thailand’s Pornpicha Choeikeewong in the women’s singles semi-finals at the Taipei Badminton Open to book a place in today’s final, as did Su Li-yang in the men’s singles.
Tai defeated Choeikeewong 21-12, 21-16 at the Tianmu Gymnasium to reach her sixth championship match in Taipei, of which she has previously won four.
She also faced a Thai player in the quarter-finals, Supanida Katethong, and Tai said after her game yesterday that she was not familiar with their playing styles.
Photo: Lin Cheng-kung, Taipei Times
Asked about her own performance, she said: “Nothing special.”
Tai faces Zhang Beiwen of the US today. They have played 10 matches against each other, with Tai winning eight. The previous time they met was at the 2019 Japan Open, when Tai won in the first round.
Although the two finalists have not squared off for a few years, they should be familiar with how each other plays, Tai said, praising her opponent’s running game and saves.
Photo: CNA
“I must retain my focus in the final,” she said.
Zhang advanced by beating Thai teenager Pitchamon Opatniputh 21-18, 21-15.
Opatniputh, who is only 16, eliminated three Taiwanese players, Chen Su-yu, Huang Yu-hsun and Sung Shuo-yun to reach her first semi-final at a Super 300 tournament.
Photo: Lin Cheng-kung, Taipei Times
In the men’s singles on Court 1, Taiwan’s Su defeated Angus Ng of Hong Kong 21-11, 21-15 to book a place in the final against Chico Aura Dwi Wardoyo of Indonesia.
Despite having to play three game points, Su led comfortably throughout game 1. He fell behind for the only time in the match early in game 2, trailing 2-0, but from there rattled off six consecutive points and took the match in 35 minutes.
In the mixed doubles, Taiwanese duo Chiu Hsiang-chieh and Lin Xiao-min are to play Chen Tang Jie and Toh Ee Wei of Malaysia in the final.
Photo: Lin Cheng-kung, Taipei Times
In the women’s doubles, Febriana Dwipuji Kusuma and Amallia Cahaya Pratiwi of Indonesia are to play South Korea’s Lee Yu-lim and Shin Seung-chan, while in the men’s doubles it is Man Wei Chong and Kai Wun Tee of Malaysia against Lu Ching-yao and Yang Po-han of Taiwan.
Taiwan kept their hopes of advancing to next year’s World Baseball Classic (WBC) alive with a 9-1 victory over South Africa in a qualifier at the Taipei Dome on Saturday, backed by solid pitching. Taiwan last night played against Nicaragua. As of press time, Nicaragua was leading 6-0. Bouncing back from Friday’s struggles on the mound, when Taiwanese pitchers surrendered 15 runs to Spain, Team Taiwan on Saturday kept the visiting team in check, allowing just one run in the bottom of the fourth inning. Starting pitcher Sha Tzu-chen struck out one and allowed no hits, except for a hit-by-pitch over
Team Taiwan are set to face Spain in a win-or-go-home match tonight for the final berth at the 2026 World Baseball Classic (WBC), despite losing to Nicaragua 6-0 in the WBC qualifier at the Taipei Dome on Sunday. The home team’s loss on Sunday means Nicaragua finish first in the qualifier round in Taipei with a perfect 3-0 record and advances to next year’s finals. After crushing South Africa 9-1 earlier on Sunday, Spain took second place in the four-team qualifier with a 2-1 record. With a 1-2 record, Taiwan finished third while South Africa placed at the bottom with
Taiwan kept its hopes of advancing to the 2026 World Baseball Classic (WBC) alive with a 9-1 victory over South Africa in a qualifier at the Taipei Dome last night, backed by solid pitching. Bouncing back from Friday’s struggles on the mound, when Taiwanese pitchers surrendered 15 runs to Spain, Team Taiwan kept the visiting team in check, allowing just one run in the bottom of the fourth inning. The win was crucial for Taiwan, as a loss would have eliminated the team from contention for the next WBC. Starting pitcher Sha Tzu-chen (沙子宸) struck out one and allowed no hits, except for
Team Taiwan avoided missing the World Baseball Classic (WBC) for the first time by defeating Spain 6-3 in a do-or-die game in Taipei last night. After narrowly escaping a mercy-rule loss to Spain in the WBC Qualifiers opener on Friday last week, the home team — winner of last year's WBSC Premier12 title three months ago — got their revenge against the 2023 European champions at Taipei Dome. "It felt quite different from when we won the Premier12," Taiwan captain Chen Chieh-hsien (陳傑憲) said after the game, recalling the ups and downs the team has experienced over the past few days. Unlike in