BADMINTON/Tai Tzu-ying withdraws from Japan Open due to knee injury

Taipei, Aug. 24 (CNA) Former world No. 1 female badminton player Tai Tzu-ying (戴資穎) has pulled out of the 2024 Japan Open after aggravating a left knee injury during her quarterfinal victory on Friday.

Entering the Super 750 event in Yokohama with a lingering knee issue, Tai was leading 15-5 against Natsuki Nidaira of Japan in the first game when she overextended her left knee while attempting unsuccessfully to save a net cord shot.

The 30-year-old grimaced in pain and sat courtside after calling for an injury timeout, allowing medical staff to apply cold spray to her knee.

Tai, the top seed in the Japan event, returned to the game later and managed to overcome the setback, securing a spot in the semifinals by defeating the Japanese shuttler 21-13, 21-14 in 43 minutes.

However, later on Friday, Tai decided to withdraw from the tournament. Her withdrawal was officially announced by the Badminton World Federation (BWF), the tournament's organizer, on Saturday.

"I'm surprised I even made it to the semis. Now, I'm just trying my best to go as far as I can. I'll see a physician after returning to Taiwan and hope it's not too serious," Tai told CNA.

Tai is currently ranked 18th on the BWF World Tour Rankings, where only the top eight players can qualify for the BWF World Tour Finals in December.

The Japan Open was Tai's first tournament since being eliminated by Ratchanok Intanon of Thailand at the Paris Olympics on July 31. It is also the fourth event in 2024 from which the Taiwanese badminton star has withdrawn, having failed to complete her last three tournaments prior to the Olympics.

Before Paris 2024, Tai's most recent appearance was at Taiwan's first match at the BWF Thomas & Uber Cup Finals against Malaysia on April 28, where she defeated Goh Jin-wei (吳堇溦) 21-19, 22-20 in 33 minutes.

Tai then withdrew from the team event and opted not to compete in the Singapore Open, which began on May 28, and the Indonesia Open in early June.

After her straight-set defeat by Intanon in the group stage in Paris, Tai revealed on social media the severity of her injury, admitting that even stepping onto the court had surpassed her expectations for herself.

Despite her withdrawal, Tai's semifinal finish is still expected to boost her ranking to world No. 3 in the latest standings, especially given the absence of the top three players -- An Se-young of South Korea, Chen Yufei (陳雨菲) of China, and Carolina Marin of Spain.

An is currently embroiled in a standoff with the Badminton Korea Association, with whom she publicly clashed after winning gold in Paris and exposing years of alleged unfair treatment.

Chen has announced an indefinite break after being knocked out in the Olympic quarterfinals, and the 31-year-old Spaniard has yet to set a return date after suffering a torn anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) in her right knee during the Paris semifinal, an injury that may force her into an earlier-than-expected retirement.