BADMINTON/Lin Chun-yi advances to Taipei Open semifinals

Taipei, July 31 (CNA) Taiwanese badminton star Lin Chun-yi (林俊易) advanced to the men's singles semifinals of the Taipei Open on Friday with a three-game comeback victory over Hong Kong's Jason Gunawan.

The second-seeded Lin defeated world No. 37 Gunawan 19-21, 21-11, 21-12 in 64 minutes before a cheering home crowd at Taipei Arena.

The victory secured Lin's fifth semifinal appearance of the year and his third in men's singles at the Taipei Open.

Lin won the tournament in 2024 after reaching the semifinals in 2022.

The Taiwanese shuttler has enjoyed a breakthrough season in 2026, winning the BWF World Tour Super 1000 All England Open and the Super 750 India Open.

He also reached the semifinals of last week's China Open, another Super 1000 event, before losing to fellow Taiwanese Chou Tien-chen (周天成), who went on to win the title.

Lin will face South Korea's Yoo Tae-bin in the semifinals on Saturday.

Meanwhile, Chou, who finished runner-up at the 2025 Taipei Open, is seeking his second consecutive appearance in the tournament final after winning the China Open on Sunday.

The 36-year-old was scheduled to face compatriot Wang Yu-kai (王渝凱) in Friday's quarterfinals, with the winner advancing to play fourth-seeded Yudai Okimoto of Japan in the semifinals Saturday.