New Delhi, Jan. 18 (CNA) Taiwanese badminton player Lin Chun-yi (林俊易) reached the men’s singles final of the India Open on Saturday after defeating Canada’s Victor Lai in three games at a Badminton World Federation (BWF) Super 750 tournament in New Delhi.
The India Open, part of the Super 750 series organized by the BWF, has been underway since Tuesday at the Indira Gandhi Indoor Arena.
Lin, 26, who had eliminated India’s Lakshya Sen in the quarterfinal, won the opening game against Lai 21-9 before dropping the second 6-21.
In the deciding game, the two players traded points repeatedly, with the score tied several times before Lin pulled away at 20-20 to win 22-20 and secure his place in the final.
Lin told CNA after the match that he and Lai were familiar with each other after training together previously, adding that Lai trained in Taiwan last year and was difficult to beat during practice sessions.
Lin said he suffered a muscle strain earlier this month at the Malaysia Open that had made walking difficult, but he still traveled to India and advanced to the final, marking the second time in his career he has had a chance to compete for a BWF Super 750 title.
Lai told CNA that Lin’s attacking power was difficult to defend even when anticipated. The Canadian player said nerves and fatigue affected his performance after a lengthy match the previous day.
