BADMINTON/Chou Tien-chen sweeps Lin Chun-yi in BWF Malaysia Open opener

Taipei, Jan. 6 (CNA) Taiwan's Chou Tien-chen (周天成) advanced to the last 16 of the men's singles draw at badminton's Malaysia Open after a 2-0 victory over compatriot Lin Chun-yi (林俊易) on Tuesday.

Chou, ranked sixth in the world, swept the world No. 12 Lin 21-14, 21-12 in 40 minutes to secure his first win of the year and his third straight victory over Lin. He now holds a 5-2 head-to-head advantage against Lin.

The two took turns taking the lead in the first game before tying at 14, but the 35-year-old Chou then pulled off a decisive 7-0 run -- his longest scoring streak of the match -- to take a 1-0 lead.

From then on, Chou appeared to take control of the match and never trailed Lin again in Game 2. Last tied at five, he remained ahead and rattled off another seven straight points after taking a 14-12 lead to close out the match.

The last time Lin defeated Chou was in the final of the Super 300-level Swiss Open in late March 2024.

Chou did not celebrate Tuesday's win, telling CNA, "It was just a match. I still have a lot of room to improve."

This was the second consecutive edition of the Super 1000 tournament in which Chou faced off against a Taiwanese player in the opening round. He was eliminated in the quarterfinals of the 2025 edition by China's world No. 1 Shi Yuqi (石宇奇).

Chou, who is seeking his first-ever semifinal appearance at the Malaysia Open, will next face world No. 14 Kenta Nishimoto of Japan in the round of 16, against whom he holds a 10-6 career head-to-head advantage.