Taiwanese men’s singles top seeds crash out

Both the top two men’s singles seeds, Taiwan’s Chou Tien Chen and Lin Chun-Yi – have crashed out of the Australian Open badminton championships.

Also exiting in the second round were seventh seed Yushi Tanaka of Japan and Hong Kong’s Lee Cheuk Yiu, the eighth seed.

World number 73, Dong Tianyao of China threw the formbook out of the window with a hard-earned 20-22, 21-16, 25-23 win over Tien Chen. The grueling 87-minute encounter took its toll on the 36-year-old Tien Chen, ranked sixth in the world.

Tien Chen, who was diagnosed with colorectal cancer in 2023 but has since recovered, lost in an agonizingly close deciding game to his opponent, 14-years his junior. It was their first meeting in an international competition.

Tianyao will now take on Hong Kong’s Angus Ng Ka Long, who himself picked up an upset win over Tanaka, in the quarter-finals.

Angus, who had lost in all his previous three meetings against Tanaka, prevailed comfortably 21-19, 21-9 in just 36-minutes.

Second seeded Chun-Yi, who barely survived an opening encounter against India’s Tharun Maneppali the day earlier, was outplayed 14-21, 11-21 by Hong Kong’s Jason Gunawan.

Chun Yi, ranked 10^th in the world, could not counter the attacking display from his 41^st ranked opponent, in a match that lasted 41-minute.

Jason will cross swords against China’s Hu Zhean in the quarter-finals. The 19-year-old Zhean picked up a 11-21, 21-15, 21-16 win over a higher ranked Wang Tzu Wei of Chinese Taipei in his second round tie.

Zhean had lost in his only previous meeting with Tzu Wei at the Thomas Cup Final and seemed to have learnt from his mistakes with a much stronger display to qualify for the last eight.

Indonesian Moh Zaki Ubaidillah defeated second seeded Cheuk Yiu 21-19, 21-15 in his second round and will play Malaysian Justin Hoh in the quarter-finals. Justin overcame Ireland’s Nguyen Nhat 21-17, 21-19 in his match.

There were no major upsets in the women’s singles with top four seeds Akane Yamaguchi of Japan, Pornpawee Chochuwong of Thailand, P.V. Sindhu of India and Nozomi Okuhara of Japan all easing into the quarter-finals.

FIRST ROUND RESULTS

Men’s singles: Alwi Farhan (Ina) bt Minori Koga (Jpn) 20-22, 21-16, 21-9; Dong Tianyao (Chn) bt Chou Tien Chen (Tpe) 20-22, 21-16, 25-23; Moh. Zaki Ubaidillah (Ina) bt Lee Cheuk Yiu (Hkg) 21-19, 21-15; Justin Hoh (Mas) bt Nguyen Nhat (Ire) 21-17, 21-19; Angus Ng Ka Long (Hkg) bt Yushi Tanaka (Jpn) 21-19, 21-9; Lee Chia Hao (Tpe) bt Jeon Hyeok Jin (Kor) 21-19, 21-13; Jason Gunawan (Hkg) Lin Chun-yi (Tpe) 21-14, 21-11; Hu Zhean (Chn) bt Wang Tzu Wei (Tpe) 11-21, 21-15, 21-16

Men’s doubles: Hariharan Amsakarunan-M.R. Arjun (Ind) bt Michael Owen-Dylan Soedjasa (Aus-Nzl) 21-17, 21-7; Liang Weikeng-Wang Chang (Chn) bt Leo Rolly Carnando-Daniel Marthin (Ina) 21-15, 21-18; Chen Boyang-Liu Yi (Chn) bt Na Sung-seung-Wang Chan (Kor) 21-19, 22-20; Chen Cheng Kuan-Liu Kuang Heng (Hkg) bt Chia Weiji-Teo Ee Yi (Mas) 13-21, 21-18, 21-17; Kang Min-hyuk-Ki Dong-ju (Kor) bt Peeratchai Sukphun-Pakkapon Teeraratsakul (Tha) 21-15, 21-12; Sabar Karyaman Gutama-Moh Reza Pahlevi Isfahani (Ina) bt Wang Yue Hang-Zewei Xie (Eng-Aus) 21-9, 21-9; Lee Fang-Chih-Lee Fang-Jen (Tpe) bt Kanki Igawa-Ooi Yi Hern (Aus) 21-6, 21-14; Huang Di-Liu Yang (Chn) bt Hung Kuei Chun-Lui Chun Wai (Hkg) 21-10, 21-17

Women’s singles: Chen Su Yu (Tpe) bt Yeo Jia Min (Sgp) 2-11 rtd; Pornpawee Chochuwong (Tha) bt Tanya Hemanth (Ind) 21-12, 21-15; Akane Yamaguchi (Jpn) bt Pai Yu Po (Tpe) 21-10, 21-14; P.V. Sindhu (Ind) bt Isharani Baruah (Ind) 22-20, 21-12; Nozomi Okuhara (Jpn) bt Tung Ciou-Tong (Tpe) 21-14, 21-12; Tanvi Sharma (Ind) bt Malvika Bansod (Ind) 21-13, 21-15; Lin Hsiang Ti (Tpe) bt Sung Shuo Yun (Tpe) 21-9, 21-15; Huang Yu-Hsin (Tpe) bt Wong Ling Ching (Mas) 21-18, 21-19

Women’s doubles: Low Zi Yu-Noraqilah Maisarah (Mas) Jazmine Lam-Lim Yee-Yuan (Aus) 21-9, 21-18; Rachel Allessya Rose-Feni Setianingrum (Ina) bt Lio Lok Lok-Tsang Hiu Yan (Hkg) 26-28, 21-18, 21-13; Febriana Dwipuji Kusuma-Meilysa Trias Puspitasari (Ina) bt Polina Buhrova-Yevheniia Kantemyr (Ukr) 21-9, 21-12; Gabriela Stoeva-Stefani Stoeva (Bul) bt Audrey Chang-Jasmine Yeung (USA) 21-17, 21-9; Hsu Ya Ching-Sung Yu-Hsuan (Tpe) bt Jung Kyung Eun-Kim So Yeong (Kor) 21-16, 21-15; Luo Yi-Wang Tingge (Chn) bt Laudya Chelsea Griselda-Nozomi Shimizu (Aus) 21-9, 21-12; Hsu Yin-Hui-Lin Jhih Yun (Tpe) bt Lauren Lam-Allison Quynh Lee (Aus) 21-18, 27-25; Jia Yifan-Zhang Shuxian (Chn) bt Francesca Corbett-Jennis Gai (USA) 19-21, 21-6, 21-19

Mixed doubles: Chan Yin Chak-Ng Tsz Yau (Hkg) bt Hoo Pang Ron-Lai Pei Jing (Mas) 21-12, 21-8; Feng Yanzhe-Huang Dongping (Chn) bt Loo Bing Kun-Noraqilah Maisarah (Mas) 21-9, 21-18; Guo Xinwa-Chen Fanghui (Chn) bt Wu Hsuan-Yi-Yang Chu Yun (Tpe) 11-21, 21-11, 21-12; Yang Po-Hsuan-Hu Ling Fang (Tpe) bt Tonkid Saeheng-Tonrug Saeheng (Tha) 21-11, 21-10; Presley Smith-Jennie Gai (USA) bt Edwaed Lau-Shaunna Li (Nzl) 21-13, 21-15; Ruttanapal Oupthong-Jhenicha Sudjaipraparat (Tha) bt Jimmy Wong-Cheng Su Yin (Mas) 21-15, 15-21, 22-20; Rehan Naufal Kusharjanto-Gloria Emenuelle Widjaja (Ina) bt Liu Kuang Heng-Hsu Yin-Hui (Tpe) 21-16, 21-17; Akira Koga-Natsu Saito (Jpn) bt Dhruv Rawat-Maneesha K (Ind) 21-19, 21-18