Chou Tien-chen Reverses Fellow Taiwanese at Australian Open; Lin Chun-yi Advances to Second Round

(Central News Agency, reporter Chen Rong-shen, Taipei, 10th) At the BWF Super 500 Australian Open, top-seeded men's singles player and "Taiwan's No. 1" Chou Tien-chen won his first-round match on the 10th with scores of 12-21, 21-16, 21-14, advancing alongside fellow Taiwanese player Lin Chun-yi.

World No. 6 Chou Tien-chen, who reached the men's singles semifinals at last week's BWF Super 1000 Indonesia Open, moved on to the Australian Open this week and was named the top seed. In the first round, he faced Wang Po-wei, known as the "Penghu Kid" from the Land Bank team. Chou fought hard over three games, staging a dramatic comeback to advance to the men's singles second round.

In this "Taiwanese civil war," Chou was still finding his rhythm at the start of the first game, falling into an early deficit. Although he mounted a brief counterattack after the technical timeout, Chou lost five consecutive points at a critical moment, allowing the gap to widen again. Unable to fight back, he lost the first game 12-21.

With no room for error, Chou engaged in a tight battle with his opponent in the second game. Fortunately, he seized an opportunity after the technical timeout, launching an 8-2 run to level the match at 21-16. He carried this momentum into the decisive third game, establishing an early lead and securing a 21-14 victory. Chou advanced to the men's singles second round with a comeback win. His next match will be against China's Dong Tianyao for a spot in the quarterfinals.

Additionally, Taiwan's "Left-handed Cannon" Lin Chun-yi, the second seed and world No. 10, battled through a three-game match against India's Tharun Mannepalli in the first round. Despite missing five match points, he eventually won 18-21, 21-13, 25-23. He will next face Hong Kong's Jason Gunawan in the second round. (Editor: Li Heng-shan) 1150610