BADMINTON/Tai Tzu-ying ousted in Taipei Open quarterfinals

Taipei, Sept. 6 (CNA) Taiwan's badminton ace Tai Tzu-ying (戴資穎) was knocked out in the women's singles quarterfinals at her last Taipei Open on Friday.

Tai, ranked world No. 3, lost to Putri Kusuma Wardani of Indonesia in a match that stretched 68 minutes at the Taipei Arena, with a game score of 21-18, 16-21, 22-24.

Despite her higher ranking, Tai said she was not too sad about the loss, given her struggle with a lingering knee injury.

"Wins and losses are just part of the game. Actually, I think I'm going to lose every single match considering my condition now," said the five-time champion of the Super 300 event, who has announced plans to retire at the end of the 2024 season.

Friday's match marked the end of her last professional tournament on home turf, where nearly 8,000 spectators showed up to cheer for the surprised 30-year-old veteran.

"It's a weekday after all, but I'm really glad that so many people came to watch the matches," Tai said, expressing hope that more people will come to cheer for the players in the final two days of the tournament.

Also on Friday, four Taiwanese male shuttlers advanced to the men's singles semifinals, led by former world No. 2 Chou Tien-chen (周天成).

The only player over 30 in the semifinals, the 34-year-old Chou will face Chi Yu-jen (戚又仁) on Saturday in pursuit of his fifth Taipei Open title.

Meanwhile, Taiwan's Olympian mixed duo Ye Hong-wei (葉宏蔚) and Lee Chia-hsin (李佳馨) edged one step closer to their first championship of the year following their 21-19, 21-14 victory over compatriots Lin Bing-wei (林秉緯) and Lin Chih-chun (林芷均).

They will play Thai pair Pakkapon Teeraratsakul and Phataimas Muenwong in the semifinals on Saturday.