In front of a packed Singapore Indoor Stadium, Chinese Taipei’s Chou Tien Chen (above) delivered a stellar performance at the Karim Family Foundation (KFF) Singapore Badminton Open presented by JK Technology to defeat the in-form world No. 3 Jonatan Christie in straight games (21-17, 21-6) in 35 minutes.
The first game saw multiple lead changes, with both players going on consecutive point runs. With the scores tied at 16-all, Chou elevated his game, scoring three straight points before closing out the game 21-17.
Precise play from Chou, coupled with several unforced errors from Christie, allowed the Taiwanese player to go on a 10-point scoring run early in the second game, taking a 12-3 lead. Chou continued his dominance with the score at 15-6, scoring six straight points to win 21-6.
With this win, Chou ended Christie’s incredible 16-match winning streak and avenged his loss against the Indonesian earlier this year at the All England Open Badminton Championships.
Following his win, Chou, ranked 13th in the world, said: “I am very happy with my win. This time, I was well prepared, and I’m glad I managed to work on my shortcomings. It’s not necessarily about winning but more about the preparations that you have made and giving it your all on court.”
Chou will take on Canada’s Brian Yang next after Yang defeated Christo Popov earlier today in straight games (21-14, 21-19). The pair have met on five occasions, with Chou leading the head-to-head 4-1.
Axelsen Makes Winning Start
Fresh off his win at the Malaysia Open, world No. 1 Viktor Axelsen (below) was made to work hard for his victory against India’s Lakshya Sen at the KFF Singapore Badminton Open.
After a strong start that saw Axelsen clinch the first game 21-13, the second game proved more challenging for the Dane due to Sen’s clinical play throughout. With the scores even at 14-all, Sen powered through towards the end to win the second game 21-16.
The third game was equally competitive, with Sen and Axelsen battling in the first half. Down 8-10, Axelsen stepped up, winning eight consecutive points (16-10) and ultimately taking the game 21-13.
Reflecting on his victory, the World Champion said: “All in all, I was super happy about my performance today, especially the first game and the last part of the third. I played really, really nice at the net. My net game was really strong, and that made the difference.”
Axelsen, who is playing in Singapore for the first time since 2019, added: “I really love it here. I love to come here. So I hope I can do well. It was a breakthrough tournament for me back in the day. To be able to do good here would be a nice memory as it’s like so many years ago. I can’t even believe time has flown so fast.
Axelsen will take on Chinese Taipei’s Lin Chin-Yi tomorrow. They have faced each other twice before, with Axelsen winning both times.
The biggest upset of the day took place in the mixed doubles category when Thailand’s Supak Jomkoh and Supissara Paewsampran (below) knocked out world No. 2 pair Feng Yan Zhe and Huang Dong Ping following their 21-13, 13-21, 21-18 victory.
Meanwhile, defending men’s singles champion Anthony Sinisuka Ginting advanced to the next round following his opponent Lee Zii Jia’s withdrawal due to a hamstring injury. Ginting will start his title defence against Malaysia’s Leong Jun Hao tomorrow.
Highlight matches for the third day include:
* Loh Kean Yew (SGP) vs Anders Antonsen (DEN)
* Pusarla V. Sindhu (IND) vs Carolina Marin (ESP)
* Zheng Si Wei & Huang Ya Qiong (CHN) vs Goh Soon Huat & Lai Shevon Jemie (MAS)
* Mathias Christiansen & Alexandra Bøje (DEN) vs Chen Tang Jie & Toh Ee Wei (MAS)
Organised by the Singapore Badminton Association (SBA), the KFF Singapore Badminton Open is part of the Badminton World Federation (BWF) World Tour Super 750 series. The tournament features the top 15 singles players and top 10 doubles pairs, all vying for prestigious titles and a share of the US$850,000 prize money.
