Wang, Chiu advance to Hylo Open men's doubles semifinals

Taipei, Nov. 1 (CNA) Two-time Olympic badminton men's doubles gold medalist Wang Chi-lin (王齊麟) and his new partner Chiu Hsiang-chieh (邱相榤) reached the semifinals of the men's doubles at the 2025 Hylo Open in Germany on Friday.

Wang and Chiu, ranked 21st in the world, upset world No. 6 Kim Astrup and Anders Skaarup Rasmussen of Denmark 21-17, 21-19 in the quarterfinal matchup to earn their first semifinal berth at a Super 500 or higher event this year.

The victory marked the Taiwanese duo's third straight win over the Danish pair, after losing their first two encounters in the first half of the year.

"They seemed a little tired after four matches on the tour -- after all, they're senior to us," Wang told CNA after the match, adding that Astrup and Rasmussen were slower in their takeoff and reactions.

Wang and Chiu are 30 and 22 years old, respectively, while Astrup and Rasmussen are 33 and 36.

Wang and Chiu have struggled through their first full year together since teaming up in late 2024. Wang's former partner Lee Yang (李洋), with whom he won back-to-back Olympic gold medals in Tokyo and Paris, was semi-retired after the Paris Games before formally hanging up his racket following the 2024 BWF World Tour Finals.

In 2025, Wang and Chiu have reached the semifinals or beyond only once -- at the Super 300 Taipei Open in May -- and were eliminated in the round of 16 or earlier in other tournaments.

In the first two months after pairing up in 2024, they finished third in two Super 500 events.

Wang praised Chiu for improving his response and tempo control, saying the pair played with greater synergy than before in Saarbrücken, while adding that "this is just a Super 500 tournament."

The Taiwanese duo next face compatriots Lee Jhe-huei (李哲輝) and Yang Po-hsuan (楊博軒) on Saturday. Lee and Yang are ranked No. 13 in the world.