BADMINTON / Taiwan's top two male shuttlers to face off in 1st round of Malaysia Open

Taipei, Jan. 5 (CNA) Taiwan's two top-ranked badminton players will compete against each other in the opening round of the 2026 Malaysia Open men's singles this week, kicking off the new season.

The BWF Super 1000 tournament is scheduled to run from Tuesday to Sunday at the Axiata Arena in Kuala Lumpur. The draw features a high-stakes clash between Taiwanese veteran Chou Tien-chen (周天成) and rising star Lin Chun-yi (林俊易), ranked No. 6 and No. 12 in the world, respectively, the two highest rankings among Taiwanese players.

As of 1 p.m. Monday, the specific date and time of their match had not yet been listed on the tournament's official schedule.

The Malaysia Open is the first event on the 2026 calendar, starting just two weeks after the end of the 2025 BWF World Tour Finals.

Chou, who competed in the 2025 event, was ousted in the group stage, but he finished the year with a record of 27 tournaments -- more than any other men's singles player in the world.

With his 36th birthday approaching on Thursday, Chou acknowledged the difficulty of maintaining peak physical condition given the hectic global tour schedule.

He told CNA, however, that he remains committed to the sport, regardless of his age.

"I will keep challenging my opponents and stick to that mindset, no matter how old I am," he said on Saturday.

Meanwhile, two-time Olympic gold medalist Wang Chi-lin (王齊麟) and partner Chiu Hsiang-chieh (邱相榤) will miss the BWF Super 1000 men's doubles competition, as Chiu is suffering from a knee injury.

Their absence leaves world No. 14 Yang Po-hsuan (楊博軒) and Lee Jhe-huei (李哲輝) as the highest-ranked Taiwanese duo in that category.