Taiwan men’s badminton ace Chou Tien-chen (???) lost to world No. 1 Viktor Axelsen of Denmark in straight sets in the men’s singles semifinal at the All England Open on Saturday.
Fourth seed and world No. 4 Chou was no match for top seed Axelsen, losing 21-13, 21-15, in 48-minutes, at the prestigious Super 1000 tournament in Birmingham, England, which carries a total purse of US$1 million.
The defeat brought the head-to-head between Axelsen and the 32-year-old Chou to 14-2 in the Dane’s favor.
Chou was runner up at the 2020 All England Open, the best ever performance by any male shuttler from Taiwan in the event.
Axelsen’s opponent in the final will be Lakshya Sen of India after the 20-year-old ousted defending champion Lee Zii Jia from Malaysia 21-13, 12-21, 21-19 earlier in the day.
Meanwhile, in the women’s singles, world champion Akane Yamaguchi from Japan faces 20-year-old South Korean An Seyoung in the final. An defeated Taiwan’s Tai Tzu-ying (???) earlier Saturday in straight sets, 21-19, 21-13.
Founded in 1899, the All England Open is the world’s oldest badminton tournament.
Source: Focus Taiwan News Channel