Taiwan’s Tai Tzu-ying (戴資穎) on Sunday beat Russia’s Natalia Perminova 2-0 to advance to the round-of-16 in the badminton women’s singles at the Rio de Janeiro Olympics.
World No. 8 Tai, 22, is seen as a gold medal hopeful in Rio.
She trounced her Russian rival 21-12, 21-9 to win the elimination round.
Photo: Reuters
Tai’s victory came after compatriot Chou Tien-chen (周天成) beat Belgium’s Yuhan Tan 2-0 to advance to the badminton men’s singles round-of-16 in Rio on the same day.
Chou is also viewed as another gold medal hopeful.
Kaohsiung Mayor Chen Chu (陳菊) praised Tai, a city resident, for the confidence she displayed as she took on her Russian competitor.
Photo: Reuters
Chen joined Tai’s family at their home to watch the game.
As Tai only took about 30 minutes to complete the straight-sets victory over Perminova, Chen said that the Taiwanese appeared confident and in control of the situation throughout the match.
She said she was impressed by Tai’s ability to utilize her powerful smash, saying that her agile movement and mature skills deserved admiration.
Chen and Tai’s grandmother, father and mother watched the live broadcast while eating rice balls, Tai’s favorite food.
The rice ball vendor made rice balls with fried eggs for the occasion, Tai’s favorite, hoping the treats would give her good luck.
Tai’s father, Tai Nan-kai (戴楠凱), said that his daughter had learned many techniques from his badminton-playing friends and that she was able to integrate the techniques of others to strengthen her own skills over time.
Tai Nan-kai said that his daughter has been described as a “badminton magician” and been praised for her “artful skills” by foreign badminton experts.
He said that he talked with his daughter on Sunday, asking her how she had adjusted to the Rio Olympics, adding that he has tried his best not to give her any pressure to avoid affecting her performance.
Taiwan has won three medals in Rio so far: one gold and a bronze medal in women’s weightlifting and a bronze medal in the archery women’s team event.
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