Taiwan shuttler Chou Tien-chen advances to final at Arctic Open

Taipei, Oct. 13 (CNA) Taiwanese badminton player Chou Tien-chen (周天成) triumphed in a 64-minute marathon match on Saturday, securing a spot in the men's singles final at the Arctic Open 2024 being held in Vantaa, Finland, after beating Koki Watanabe of Japan.

World No. 10 Chou defeated Watanabe 21-12, 14-21, 21-10 and will face world No. 5 Jonatan Christie of Indonesia on Sunday. Chou trails slightly behind Christie, with seven wins and nine losses in their previous encounters.

Despite having just played for 87 minutes in the quarterfinals on Friday, the 34-year-old Chou showed no signs of fatigue in the match against world No. 14 Watanabe.

In the first set, Chou capitalized on his excellent net play and Watanabe's instability in shots after movement to score six consecutive points from 12-8, ultimately taking the first game with ease.

While Watanabe increased his pace to break through Chou's defense and took the second set, Chou opened the third with a strong 7-2 run.

Despite Watanabe's attempts to counterattack, Chou repeatedly dismantled his smashes, widening the score gap until he secured a 20-10 match point with a cross-court smash.

Sunday's match will be Chou's fourth time reaching a final this season, having previously claimed the title at the 2024 Thailand Masters in February.