BADMINTON/Taiwan shuttlers knocked out of Thomas Cup by Indonesia

Taipei, May 5 (CNA) The Taiwan team's journey in the Thomas Cup men's team badminton tournament, being held in Chengdu, China from April 27 to May 5, came to an end on Saturday after they lost out to the Indonesian side in the semifinals.

Comprising aces Chou Tien-chen (周天成), Wang Chi-lin (王齊麟), Lee Yang (李洋), and Wang Tzu-wei (王子維), the Taiwan team was beaten in the first three matches in the best-of-five tournament.

Chou, who ranked world No. 2 in men's singles in 2020 and is currently at 14th, stepped up for the first match against Anthony Sinisuka Ginting. Despite Chou's efforts, he was defeated in both games 18-21 and 19-21.

The second match was played by Taiwan's Olympic champion combination Wang Chi-lin and Lee Yang. However, despite triumphing in the first game 21-16, they lost the next two 19-21 and 18-21.

In the last match, world No.23 Wang Tzu-wei played against world No.3 Jonatan Christie, with Wang losing 11-21 and 16-21.

Despite the loss, getting to the semifinals meant this year's Thomas Cup performance was Taiwan's best in the world men's team championships which have been conducted every two years since the 1982.

The Taiwan women's badminton team was also knocked out of the Uber Cup, held in association with the Thomas Cup, on Friday after losing in the quarterfinals to South Korea.