In a dramatic comeback, Taiwan’s top male badminton player, Chou Tien-chen (周天成), yesterday defeated his Hong Kong opponent to clinch the Thailand Open title in Bangkok.
The 29-year-old Chou was for a while a single point away from losing the 67-minute battle against Ng Ka Long (伍家朗), trailing 20-16 in game 3 at the Indoor Stadium Huamark.
However, Chou launched a dramatic comeback, winning five straight points before clinching a hard-earned victory 21-14, 11-21, 23-21.
Chou had a smooth start in game 1, easing to a comfortable 11-2 lead.
However, Ng recovered from a sluggish opening, taking game 2 after Chou apparently lost focus, making a number of unforced errors.
The win marked Chou’s second Badminton World Federation (BWF) title after he won the Indonesia Open last month.
“I just want to show my attitude to the fans here,” the world No. 3 told spectators packing the stadium.
The win was his fourth consecutive victory over Ng, who is ranked No. 12 in the world.
The Thailand Open, the 16th tournament of the BWF World Tour, had a total prize purse of US$350,000.
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