BADMINTON/Tai Tzu-ying reiterates retirement plan after first win at Taipei Open

Taipei, Sept. 4 (CNA) Taiwan badminton ace Tai Tzu-ying (戴資穎) said that this year would be the last time she participates in the Taipei Open, after her first win at the tournament that put her through to the top 16 on Wednesday.

Having previously said she would retire at the end of 2024, Tai reiterated her decision during a post-match interview, saying she was "not a liar."

Tai breezed past Indian shuttler Tanya Hemanth 21-11, 21-10, despite a knee injury that forced her out of the Japan Open just 12 days ago.

The 30-year-old Tai admitted that her knee still hurt and she was unsure how many more matches she could play, but that she wanted to play because the tournament was taking place in Taiwan.

"Many of my fans cannot fly abroad to see me play," she told CNA. "So I thought it would be easier for them to take a day off work to watch a match in Taiwan."

Tai said she was touched by her fans' unwavering support and moved to be playing in the Taipei Arena again.

Many of her fans did indeed buy tickets to see her first match, even though it was a weekday.

A voice even shouted "Tai Tzu-ying, I didn't have breakfast or lunch just to see you play" in the court.

This made Tai smile, saying that she had heard the voice before and almost always heard it when playing in Taiwan.

Tai, who ranks world No. 3, will next face another Taiwanese player Yang Yu-chi (楊育綺).