MYS
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In the latest display of her stellar form, Taiwan's badminton star, Tai Tzu-ying, secured a spot in the finals of the 2024 Malaysia Open women's singles tournament by triumphing over China's Chen Yufei in a hard-fought three-game battle on Saturday.
After concluding a somewhat disappointing 2023 with a victory at the HSBC World Tour Finals, where she notably upset world No. 1 An Se-young, Tai kicked off the new year impressively by reaching the semifinals of the Malaysia Open. Facing Chen, who had defeated her for the gold medal at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021, the world No. 4 Tai initially took a commanding 5-1 lead, but the game swiftly leveled at 5-5 as Chen gained momentum.
The opening game witnessed a back-and-forth struggle, with the score tied eight times, ultimately favoring Chen, ranked second in the world, who claimed the first game 21-17. Undeterred, Tai staged a comeback in the second game, winning it 21-15 and leveling the match at 1-1. Despite trailing 14-17 in the third game, Tai rallied, stringing together crucial points to emerge victorious with a 21-18 score, clinching the match 2-1.
In the upcoming final, Tai is set to face South Korea's An, who has previously defeated her in 10 out of their 12 encounters. Post-match, Tai commended her Chinese opponent's strong performance, emphasizing her focus on minimizing unforced errors.
Saturday's semifinal win marked the end of Tai's four consecutive head-to-head losses to Chen, with the last defeat occurring in the final of the French Open in October last year. Tai, who has been recovering well from injuries, hinted at the possibility of retiring from the sport after the Paris Olympics later this year.
As she eyes her fifth Malaysia Open title, the 29-year-old Tai will continue her pursuit of badminton glory in the final against tough competitor An. The Malaysia Open, held in Kuala Lumpur from Jan. 9-14, is an annual event elevated to Badminton World Federation Super 1000 status in 2023.
