BADMINTON/Chou Tien-chen reaches first Asia Championships semifinals in 7 years

Taipei, April 10 (CNA) Taiwan's top male badminton star Chou Tien-chen (周天成) advanced to the semifinals of the Badminton Asia Championships men's singles Friday, after rallying from a game down to defeat Singapore's Loh Kean Yew (駱建佑).

World No. 6 Chou beat the 11th-ranked Loh 16-21, 21-12, 21-17 in a 69-minute match in Ningbo, China.

"It's always rewarding playing against [Loh]," Chou told CNA after the match, praising his opponent as a respectful player.

"I'm happy to reach the semifinals. I will stay calm and see if I can go further," he said.

The win secured Chou a medal, his second at the tournament and the third ever for a Taiwanese men's singles player.

Fung Permadi (陳鋒) won bronze in 1999, while Chou also won bronze in 2019.

After dropping the opening game, Chou dominated the second, including a 12-1 run after taking a 2-1 lead.

In the deciding game, the two traded leads with neither player holding more than a four-point advantage. Loh led 16-12 before Chou responded with an 8-0 run to seal the match.

With the victory, Chou took the lead in their head-to-head encounters with a record of 6-5.

Chou will face China's world No. 2 Shi Yuqi (石宇奇) in the semifinals on Saturday. He has lost 14 of their previous 19 meetings.