Taiwan’s top male shuttler, Chou Tien-chen, is to take a one-week break from the court due to damage sustained to his left lung during the Japan Open on Saturday.
Chou was diagnosed with damage to the left lung alveolus and soft tissue by doctors at Taoyuan General Hospital, where he regularly receives hyperbaric oxygen therapy.
As tests had ruled out pneumothorax — when air leaks into the chest cavity — it would not affect his regular treatment, the 34-year-old said.
Photo: AFP
The injury might have resulted from improper use of a respiratory resistance training device before his semi-final against Kodai Naraoka of Japan, he said.
“My lung might have overexpanded because I took breaths too quickly, leading to the injury,” Chou said, describing the sensation as feeling like cramping.
“It felt like being zapped with electricity with each movement. It was really uncomfortable, so I’m truly thankful to the Lord that I was able to finish the final” on Sunday.
Photo courtesy of Chou’s physiotherapist Kao Min-shan via CNA
A devout Christian, Chou credited his ability to continue competing to the support of his pastor and church members, who prayed for him at his request.
Chou, who was diagnosed with early-stage colorectal cancer early last year, said that this issue is unrelated to his previous health problems, adding that the situation has been reported to the National Sports Training Center as well as the national badminton association.
The discomfort began before his match against Naraoka, he said.
It was temporarily managed by his physician, and Chou went on to defeat Naraoka in straight games, before losing 21-17, 22-20 to 19-year-old Alex Lanier of France in Sunday’s final.
Chou appeared tired during the final and did not celebrate with his signature shout until he scored his 19th point in the second game, ending his celebration there.
Despite the loss, it was Chou’s best performance in a Super 750 or higher tournament in two years. His last final appearance at that level was the 2022 Japan Open, where he also finished runner-up.
His world ranking has moved up one place to ninth, the latest rankings announced on Tuesday showed.
Twelve days after winning her second Grand Slam title at the French Open, Coco Gauff fell at the first hurdle on grass in Berlin on Thursday as beaten Paris finalist Aryna Sabalenka advanced to the quarter-finals. Recipient of a first round bye, American Gauff lost 6-3, 6-3 to Chinese qualifier Wang Xinyu as world number one Sabalenka beat Rebeka Masarova 6-2, 7-6 (8/6) in her second round tie. Winner of 10 main tour titles, including the US Open in 2023 and the WTA Finals last year, Gauff has yet to lift a trophy in a grass-court tournament. “After I won the first
While British star Jack Draper spent the past week trying to find rhythm and comfort in his first grass tournament of the season at the Queen’s Club Championships in London, Jiri Lehecka on Saturday bulldozed everything in his path. After more than two furious hours of battle, their form was reflected in the final scoreline as Lehecka toppled a frustrated Draper, the second seed, 6-4, 4-6, 7-5 to reach the biggest final of his career, against Carlos Alcaraz. Lehecka is also the first Czech to reach the men’s title match at Queen’s since Ivan Lendl lifted the trophy in 1990. Draper, who
Top-ranked Aryna Sabalenka staged a “crazy comeback,” saving four match points before beating Elena Rybakina 7-6 (6), 3-6, 7-6 (6) in the quarter-finals of the Berlin Open on Friday. Sabalenka was 6-2 down in the final-set tie-breaker, but won six straight points to reach her eighth semi-final of the season. “Elena is a great player and we’ve had a lot of tough battles,” Sabalenka said. “I have no idea how I was able to win those last points. I think I just got lucky.” “I remember a long time ago when I was just starting, I won a lot of matches being down
The Canterbury Crusaders edged the Waikato Chiefs 16-12 in an intense Super Rugby Pacific final battle in Christchurch yesterday to claim their 15th title in 30 years of the Southern Hemisphere competition. Hooker Codie Taylor scored a try and Rivez Reihana contributed 11 points from the kicking tee as the most dominant team in Super Rugby history extended their perfect home playoff record to 32 successive matches since 1998. The Chiefs, who were looking for a first title since 2013, scored first-half tries through George Dyer and Shaun Stevenson, but were unable to register a point after the break and fell to
RSS