Chou Tien-chen captured the men’s singles title Nov. 4 at the Bitburger Open Grand Prix Gold in Saarbrucken, Germany, the first Taiwan player to win a Badminton World Federation Grand Prix event.
In the finals match, Chou took 41 minutes to defeat second-seeded German player Marc Zwiebler 21-19, 21-12. With the first game tied at 19, he pulled out two final points for the win. In the second game, after trading leads with Zwiebler to 6-6, he grabbed nine straight points to break away.
“With the score even near the end of the first game, I managed to return my opponent’s push shots to hold on and take the win,” Chou said.
In the second game, Zwiebler seemed to be impatient and rushed, so Chou kept up a steady attack and solid defense to wear him down.
“This win makes up for my second place finish at the Yonex Chinese Taipei Open last month, also a Grand Prix competition,” Chou said. “I’m thankful I could overcome the pressure of the crowd’s cheers for the German player.”
Chou, currently No. 39 in the world, could break into the top 30 when the latest rankings are announced Nov. 8, moving past Hsu Jen-hao to become the top Taiwan player. He took home US$9,000 in prize money from the Bitburger competition. He now faces tournaments in Iceland, Norway, Scotland and Wales. (THN)