Taiwan badminton ace Chou Tien-chen savors the moment after winning the men’s singles title at the Indonesia Open July 21 in Jakarta. (CNA)

Taiwan badminton ace Chou Tien-chen clinched the men’s singles at the Indonesia Open July 21 in Jakarta, becoming the first player from the country to achieve the honor. 
 
Chou outlasted his Danish opponent Anders Antonsen 21-18, 24-26, 21-15 in 91 minutes, bagging his first tournament triumph of the year and US$87,500 in prize money. The world No. 3 maintained the momentum he built through the competition’s earlier rounds, racing to a 12-3 lead and holding on to seal the opening set 21-18 despite a fierce response from the Dane.
 
In the second set, Chou went up 5-1 before Antonsen fought back to level the tie. The decider saw the pair even at 7-7, but the 29-year-old proved too strong for his opponent, and he won with a cleverly executed net point.
 
During a post-tournament interview, Chou said he felt the previous matches had prepared him well for the final and helped him improve throughout the event. He also thanked his supporters in Taiwan, promising them he would continue to improve.
 
Chou’s victory is the first by a Taiwan player in the top-tier men’s singles Badminton World Federation Super 1000 series. He won in the BWF Super 750 series in 2014 at the Yonex French Open, and also won titles last year in Germany, Singapore and South Korea. (CPY-E)