TAIPEI (TVBS News) — Taiwan's top badminton player, Chou Tien-chen (周天成), dominated the first round of the BWF World Tour Super 500 Australian Open on Wednesday (Nov. 19). He defeated Australian player Ricky Tang (鄭浩林) with 21-8 and 21-10, advancing to the next round in just 29 minutes. This marks their first encounter, with Chou ranked 6th in BWF men's singles, while Tang stands at 193rd.
Chou's recent performance has been inconsistent. After winning the Finnish Arctic Badminton Open in mid-October, he faced two first-round eliminations and two exits in the round of 16 in subsequent tournaments. Despite this, Chou expressed satisfaction with his performance against Tang, stating that Tang had performed well, but he gave it his all.
Advancing to the round of 16, Chou will face Australia's Asher Jing Jie Ooi. He is expected to secure another victory with ease. Meanwhile, another Taiwanese player, Lin Chun-yi (林俊易), also progressed to the round of 16 after defeating Thailand's Panitchaphon Teeraratsakul in two consecutive sets.
Lin's performance has seen ups and downs. After securing a runner-up position at the Li-Ning China Masters 2025 in mid-September, he suffered four consecutive first-round eliminations. His recent breakthrough came last week at the Kumamoto Masters Japan 2025, where he reached the quarterfinals.