Taipei: Taiwan’s World No. 3 women’s singles player – Tai Tzu-Ying, was defeated by world No. 34 Putri Kusuma Wardani of Indonesia in the quarterfinals of Super 300 Taipei Open on Friday, marking the end of her final tournament at home without a championship. After the match, Tai posted on social media to express her thoughts.
Highlights of Tai Tzu Ying vs. Putri Kusuma Wardani in the 2024 Taipei Open quarterfinals:
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Tai wrote: “My last Taipei Open. Thank you to everyone who filled the stands and cheered so loudly. Unfortunately, I couldn’t win, but I have done my best. Thank you again for coming to support me. I have participated in the Taipei Open since 2009, and 2024 is my last year. Special thanks to Dr. Lin for the emergency treatment before and after the match, which allowed me to run and jump smoothly on the court and for everyone to see me.”
Set to retire at the end of this year, Tai revealed after the first round of the Taipei Open that she had been troubled by a knee injury. She admitted that if it weren’t for playing in Taiwan, she wouldn’t have participated, as it’s difficult for Taiwanese fans to watch her compete abroad. After her loss on Friday, Tai also confessed that due to her injury, she feels like she could lose any match.
As for the World No. 34 Putri Kusuma Wardani from Indonesia who defeated Tai Tzu-Ying with scores of 18-21, 21-16, 24-22, said that she knew Tai Tzu-Ying is the No. 1 women’s singles player in Taiwan, so beating Tai was very gratifying for her. She admitted that she was nervous when facing match points against Tai, especially with the crowd supporting her opponent, but she told herself to take it slowly and catch up point by point.
While Tai Tzu-Ying is ending her legendary career, 22-year-old Wardani is just starting her own. Wardani’s best ranking was No. 28, and she hopes to maintain her position within the top 32 in the world. Her badminton idol is former world champion Carolina Marin of Spain, whom she admires not only for her fighting spirit but also for her footwork on the court, which she finds worthy of learning.
Meanwhile, Taiwan’s World No. 9 men’s singles player – Chou Tien-Chen, advanced to the semifinals after defeating Malaysia’s Justin Hoh 21-12, 21-14, moving closer to his fifth championship title in the tournament’s history.
Chou will face off against Chi Yu-Jen in the semifinals, who earlier defeated Wang Tzu-Wei in straight sets. Chou believes that after his health issue uncovered last week (problems with his left lung alveolus and surrounding soft tissues), he’s grateful to participate in the Taipei Open. Regardless of the opponent, he will give his best performance on the court.
Chou has faced Chi Yu-Jen three times in international competitions and has never lost. He noted that his junior will certainly do his homework against him, so he will be prepared to play against his junior.
