Taiwan's top shuttler Chou reaches men's semifinals at China Open

Taipei, July 24 (CNA) Taiwan's top male badminton player Chou Tien-chen (周天成) upset world No. 1 Shi Yuqi (石宇奇) of China on Friday to advance to the semifinals of the 2026 China Open, snapping a nine-match losing streak against Shi.

Chou entered the match having lost his previous nine meetings with Shi and trailing 5-15 in their career head-to-head record. His last win over the Chinese world No. 1 came in the men's team event at the Hangzhou Asian Games, which were held in 2023 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Shi controlled the pace early in the first game and built a comfortable 13-6 lead midway through. However, Chou then increased the tempo and became more aggressive, launching a remarkable 15-1 run to take the opening game 21-14.

In the second game, the 36-year-old Chou kept rallies short, often engaging Shi only in the opening exchanges, before Shi leveled the match with a 21-12 win.

Chou took control in the deciding game, racing to a 7-2 lead before using close-range smashes and quick net exchanges to build an 18-10 advantage and close out the match 21-15.

The match, held at the Olympic Sports Center Gymnasium, lasted 61 minutes.

After the victory, Chou said he would focus on resting and recovering as quickly as possible before his semifinal against countryman Lin Chun-yi (林俊易), who won the men's singles title at the All England Open in March.

The China Open, a Badminton World Federation Super 1000 tournament, is taking place in Jiangsu province from July 21-26.