Tai Tzu-ying progresses to badminton World Championships quarterfinals

Taiwanese Olympic silver medalist Tai Tzu-ying (???) continues her pursuit of a maiden world title after defeating Kirsty Gilmour of Scotland Thursday to reach the quarterfinals in the women’s singles at the BWF World Championships in Spain.

The top-seeded Tai, ranked No. 1 in the world, overpowered world No. 21 Gilmour 21-10, 19-21, 21-11 in a round of last 16 match that lasted 48 minutes at Spanish sports complex Palacio de los Deportes Carolina Marín in Huelva. Tai also extended her head-to-head lead over Gilmour to 5-0.

Tai meets defending champion and sixth-seed Pusarla V. Sindhu of India in the quarterfinals on Friday.

On Thursday, Tai held a comfortable 11-7 lead over Gilmour at the break during the opening game before stepping up the pressure to reach game point at 20-10 and winning the next point.

Gilmour responded well in the second game, creating angles and carefully calculated net play to reach game point at 20-12. However, Tai responded by putting on a clinic and saving 7 consecutive game points before eventually losing the set 20-19.

In the rubber, Tai regained her control and composure to lead 11-5 at the break. Bouncing back from the second game, Tai’s beautifully orchestrated rallies took her to match point at 20-11, securing the win with the next point.

Tai’s campaign at the World Championships kicked off with an impressive performance in her opening match on Tuesday, having received a bye in the first round.

She posted a 21-10, 21-14 victory over Russian Badminton Federation’s Evgeniya Kosetskaya, ranked No. 27 in the world.

The 2021 BWF World Championships, held Dec. 12-19, is Tai’s first tournament since the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games earlier in the year, where she lost a thrilling final to China’s Chen Yufei.

The world No. 1 also powered her way into finals at three tournaments in Bangkok, Thailand in January 2021, before clinching the HSBC BWF World Tour Finals 2020. Tai also won the BWF Female Player of the Year award this month in recognition of her achievements in 2020-2021.

Source: Focus Taiwan News Channel