OLYMPICS/Tai Tzu-ying wins 1st match in Paris; archers advance to quarterfinals

Paris, July 28 (CNA) Taiwan's badminton ace Tai Tzu-ying (戴資穎) defeated Belgium's Lianne Tan in the group stage of the women's singles at the Paris 2024 Olympics on Sunday, while its three-woman archery team secured a spot in the quarterfinals.

Although Tai has not played in any professional competitions in the last three months due to injuries and Olympic prep, the faceoff between her and Tan lasted just 38 minutes, with the Taiwanese ace coming out on top after winning 21-15, 21-14.

The match marked Tai's third consecutive career victory over Tan, although she took a while to warm up in the first game before finally finding her momentum.

The 30-year-old Tai will next play against longtime friend and rival, Thailand's Ratchanok Intanon, in the group stage.

Per Olympic rules, the first-place athlete in each group will advance to the next round. However, because Tai is in a group with other highly seeded players, the winner in her group will advance directly to the quarterfinals.

"(I) passed the first stage; I feel pretty good," Tai told the press after her Sunday match.

She also explained that she needed to get accustomed to the wind in the Paris venue and that she hoped to do better in her next match.

Tai went on to voice her liking of the color scheme at this year's Olympics and said she was happy to hear fans cheering for her in English, Mandarin and even Taiwanese.

"Although I did not see them, some voices felt very familiar," Tai said. "The fans have followed me around (the world) for many years, and I am very touched and grateful for their support."

Also Sunday, Taiwan's female archery delegation defeated the United States 5-1 and advanced to the quarterfinals.

The Taiwanese team made of archers Chiu Yi-ching (邱意晴), Lei Chien-ying (雷千瑩), and Li Tsai-chi (李彩綺) will next fire their arrows against South Korea later Sunday.