Taiwan's Chou takes Arctic Open for second title of 2024

Taipei, Oct. 14 (CNA) Taiwanese badminton ace Chou Tien-chen (周天成) secured his second championship of the year with a straight-game victory in the 2024 Arctic Open men's singles final on Sunday.

"It's probably because I wanted to show you my never-say-die spirit," Chou joked while speaking to CNA after the match in Vantaa, Finland.

The title came more than eight months after his last victory at the Thailand Masters, a Super 300-level event in early February, and marked his first Super 500-level title in over five years, with the last being the Thailand Open in August 2019.

In the meantime, the 34-year-old Chou even overcame early-stage colorectal cancer in early 2023.

The former world No. 2 expressed his gratitude to the Lord, saying God "allows me to keep competing healthily, especially after undergoing cancer treatment last year. I'm very thankful that I can still play now."

Sunday's match was expected to be a tough battle for Chou, who had earned his place in the final after three hard-fought, three-game matches from the round of 16 to the semifinal, totaling 221 minutes of match time over the previous three days.

In stark contrast, his opponent Jonatan Christie of Indonesia, currently ranked fifth in the world, had played just 73 minutes, partly benefitting from a walkover in Saturday's match.

The Taiwanese veteran turned back the clock, however, defeating the 27-year-old Indonesian 21-18, 21-17 in just 53 minutes.

Before the match, Chou had a 7-9 head-to-head record against Jonatan.

Asked about his success, Chou credited his physiotherapist, Kao Min-shan (高敏珊), and fellow Taiwanese shuttlers Yang Po-han (楊博涵) and Liu Guang-heng (劉廣珩) for their support throughout his journey in Northern Europe.

Chou said the title was "truly meaningful" to him.

"It will motivate me to keep going and not give up. It also proves that I have been training the right way, especially in terms of defense, which is why I can still compete on the court."