Members of Team Chinese Taipei celebrates winning the quarterfinal between Chinese Taipei and Denmark at BWF Thomas Cup Finals in Chengdu, southwest China's Sichuan Province, May 3, 2024. (Xinhua/Jiang Hongjing)
CHENGDU, China, May 3 (Xinhua) -- Chou Tien-chen stunned world No. 1 Viktor Axelsen on Friday as Chinese Taipei ousted Denmark 3-1 to reach the Thomas Cup semifinals.
In-form Chou put his side ahead by beating Axelsen 21-19, 14-21, 21-19 in the duel between the two sides' first singles players.
Lee Yang and Wang Chi-lin dominated their opponents to make it 2-0, before Anders Antonsen kept Denmark's hope alive after crushing Lin Chun-yi 14-21, 21-10, 21-14.
But Lee Jhe-huei and Yang Po-hsuan claimed a thrilling victory, besting Rasmus Kjaer and Frederik Sogaard 23-21, 21-18 to seal the semifinal berth for Chinese Taipei.
"I'm very disappointed," said Axelsen. "My form was not as good as the previous two matches. My defense was not good, and I made more mistakes."
"Axelsen is the archrival of all the men's singles players, so performing at such a high level made me very happy, whether it is win or lose," Chou stated.
Chinese Taipei will take on Indonesia in the semifinal, after the latter eliminated South Korea, while the other semifinal clash will see hosts China meet Malaysia on Saturday.
In the women's Uber Cup, defending champions South Korea swept Chinese Taipei 3-0, while Indonesia also took a 3-0 win over Thailand to reach the semifinals.
South Korea and Indonesia will compete for a final spot on Saturday, and the winner is set to meet either China or Japan in the final.
The biennial international badminton championships, held in Chengdu, southwest China's Sichuan Province, marked the 33rd edition of the Thomas Cup and the 30th edition of the Uber Cup, with each tournament featuring 16 teams in four groups and taking place from April 27 to May 5. ■
Members of Team Chinese Taipei celebrates winning the quarterfinal between Chinese Taipei and Denmark at BWF Thomas Cup Finals in Chengdu, southwest China's Sichuan Province, May 3, 2024. (Xinhua/Jiang Hongjing)
Anders Antonsen of Denmark celebrates winning the singles match against Lin Chun-Yi of Chinese Taipei during the quarterfinal between Chinese Taipei and Denmark at BWF Thomas Cup Finals in Chengdu, southwest China's Sichuan Province, May 3, 2024. (Xinhua/Jiang Hongjing)
Lee Jhe-Huei/Yang Po-Hsuan (L) of Chinese Taipei compete in the doubles match against Rasmus Kjaer/Frederik Sogaard of Denmark during the quarterfinal between Chinese Taipei and Denmark at BWF Thomas Cup Finals in Chengdu, southwest China's Sichuan Province, May 3, 2024. (Xinhua/Jiang Hongjing)
Lee Jhe-Huei/Yang Po-Hsuan (L) of Chinese Taipei compete in the doubles match against Rasmus Kjaer/Frederik Sogaard of Denmark during the quarterfinal between Chinese Taipei and Denmark at BWF Thomas Cup Finals in Chengdu, southwest China's Sichuan Province, May 3, 2024. (Xinhua/Jiang Hongjing)
Members of Team Chinese Taipei celebrates winning the quarterfinal between Chinese Taipei and Denmark at BWF Thomas Cup Finals in Chengdu, southwest China's Sichuan Province, May 3, 2024. (Xinhua/Jiang Hongjing)
Lee Jhe-Huei/Yang Po-Hsuan (L) of Chinese Taipei celebrate scoring in the doubles match against Rasmus Kjaer/Frederik Sogaard of Denmark during the quarterfinal between Chinese Taipei and Denmark at BWF Thomas Cup Finals in Chengdu, southwest China's Sichuan Province, May 3, 2024. (Xinhua/Jiang Hongjing)
Cho Geonyeop of South Korea hits a return in the singles match against Jonatan Christie of Indonesia during the quarterfinal between South Korea and Indonesia at BWF Thomas Cup Finals in Chengdu, southwest China's Sichuan Province, May 3, 2024. (Xinhua/Chen Bin)
Jonatan Christie of Indonesia hits a return in the singles match against Cho Geonyeop of South Korea during the quarterfinal between South Korea and Indonesia at BWF Thomas Cup Finals in Chengdu, southwest China's Sichuan Province, May 3, 2024. (Xinhua/Chen Bin)
