BADMINTON/Taiwan shuttler Lin Chun-yi bags Swiss Open men's singles title

Taipei, March 25 (CNA) Taiwanese badminton player Lin Chun-yi (林俊易) defeated compatriot Chou Tien-chen (周天成) in a three-game thriller to bag the Yonex Swiss Open men's singles title in Basel on Sunday.

Lin overcame a lopsided opening game loss and save four match points against him in the second game to edge past the 34-year-old Chou 7-21, 22-20, 23-21 in a hard-fought battle that lasted 75 minutes.

Speaking about his performance when he was down 20-16 at the end of the second game, Lin, 24, told CNA that the thought of losing never crossed his mind.

"I really didn't think about anything, including losing," Lin said, focusing instead on just getting the shuttlecock back.

At one point, Lin said, he even lost track of the score as he racked up six straight points to win the second game 22-20.

The deciding game was just as tight, though this time Lin secured three match points by taking a 20-17 lead that were then saved by Chou.

Chou saved another match point down 21-20, but Lin won the last two points to seal the victory, his third title in a Badminton World Federation World Tour Super 300 event, after the U.S. Open Badminton Championships in 2019 and the Thailand Masters in 2023.

After the match, the Taiwanese shuttler, ranked 22nd in the world prior to the Swiss Open, said he has matured and gained a lot of experience over the years, and that was evident in Switzerland.

"The last two titles [Super 300] went relatively smoothly. This time was more challenging. There were mistakes and there were setbacks, but the player I am now had a better idea of what to do and when to do it," he said.

Asked whether he hoped to take over Chou's mantle as Taiwan's top male player, Lin said: "Every athlete gets old. It's a natural cycle, so this isn't a goal of mine. I just want to compete against the world's top players."

Lin said he is not the type of player to set goals because of the pressure it brings.

"I just want to do things right and have the proper mindset. With those things, good results will follow," he said.

Even with the win, Lin will not likely make it to the Olympic Games in Paris this summer.

Countries must have two players ranked in the top 16 to get the maximum two spots in an Olympic badminton singles competition, but Taiwan only has one player ranked in the top 16 (Chou), meaning Taiwan will only get one spot in the men's singles in Paris.