Taiwanese badminton ace Tai Tzu-ying on Thursday defeated Thailand’s Busanan Ongbamrungphan 21-19, 21-12 to reach the quarter-finals of the BWF All England Open in Birmingham.
Tai, the world No. 3, needed only 40 minutes to close out the round-of-16 matchup at the Utilita Arena.
In the opening game, the Taiwanese shuttler established an early 10-5 cushion, before an aggressive Ongbamrungphan fought her way back into the tie, winning nine straight points to take a 10-14 lead.
Photo: Reuters
The pair traded the lead to bring the scores to 18-19, but Tai held her nerve to close out the first game.
After a 2-2 tie early in the second, Tai kept her opponent at bay, leading 12-10 before marching away.
With the victory, Tai has won 15 of their 18 previous encounters.
Photo: AP
She was to play China’s He Bingjiao in the quarter-finals after press time last night.
Tai was the only Taiwanese shuttler still in the tournament after second-seeded South Korean An Se-young — who on Wednesday defeated Taiwan’s Hsu Wen-chi in the women’s singles — beat Pai Yu-po 21-3, 21-7 on Thursday.
Wang Tzu-wei and Chou Tien-chen crashed out in the opening round of the men’s singles on Tuesday.
Photo: AP
Meanwhile, Denmark’s Viktor Axelsen was one of three defending champions to crash out.
Reigning Olympic champion Axelsen suffered a stunning 21-18, 9-21, 23-21 loss to Malaysia’s Ng Tze Yong in the second round of the men’s singles.
“It’s one of the most special tournaments to me,” Axelsen said. “It’s one of the biggest on the circuit, so I want to do well. And when you fail. It’s tough.”
Axelsen’s loss followed on from compatriot Anders Antonsen beating Lakshya Sen in straight games, meaning neither of last year’s finalists reached the last eight.
In the women’s doubles, Japanese duo Nami Matsuyama and Chiharu Shida, the defending champions, lost 18-21, 21-19, 21-9 to South Korean pair Baek Ha-na and Lee So-hee.
US track and field athletes have about four dozen pieces to choose from when assembling their uniforms at the Olympics. The one grabbing the most attention is a high-cut leotard that barely covers the bikini line and has triggered debate between those who think it is sexist and others who say they do not need the Internet to make sure they have good uniforms. Among those critical or laughing at the uniforms included Paralympian Femita Ayanbeku, sprinter Britton Wilson and even athletes from other countries such as Britain’s Abigail Irozuru, who wrote on social media: “Was ANY female athlete consulted in
Four-time NBA all-star DeMarcus Cousins arrived in Taiwan with his family early yesterday to finish his renewed contract with the Taiwan Beer Leopards in the T1 League. Cousins initially played a four-game contract with the Leopards in January. On March 18, the Taoyuan-based team announced that Cousins had renewed his contract. “Hi what’s up Leopard fans, I’m back. I’m excited to be back and can’t wait to join the team,” Cousins said in a video posted on the Leopard’s Facebook page. “Most of all, can’t wait to see you guys, the fans, next weekend. So make sure you come out and support the Beer
Former US Masters champion Zach Johnson was left embarrassed after a foul-mouthed response to ironic cheers from spectators after a triple bogey at Augusta National on Friday. Johnson, the 2007 Masters winner, missed the cut after his three-over-par round of 75 left him on seven-over 151 for 36 holes, his six on the par-three 12th playing a big role in his downfall. Television footage showed Johnson reacting to sarcastic cheers and applause when he tapped in for the triple bogey by yelling: “Oh fuck off.” Such a response would be considered bad form in any golf tournament, but is particularly out of keeping
Taiwan’s Lee Jhe-huei and Yang Po-hsuan on Saturday won the men’s doubles bronze medal at the Badminton Asia Championships in Ningbo, China, after they were bested by the hosts in their semi-final. The Taiwanese shuttlers lost to China’s Liang Wei Keng and Wang Chang, who advanced to yesterday’s final against Malaysia’s Goh Sze Fei and Nur Izzudin. The Chinese pair outplayed Lee and Yang in straight games. Although the Taiwanese got off to a slow start in the first game, they eventually tied it 14-14, before Liang and Wang went on to blow past them to win 21-17. In the second game, Lee and