Kuala lumpur: Taiwan's Chou Tien-chen advanced to the last 16 of the men's singles draw at badminton's Malaysia Open after a 2-0 victory over compatriot Lin Chun-yi.

According to Focus Taiwan, Chou, ranked sixth in the world, swept the world No. 12 Lin with scores of 21-14, 21-12 in just 40 minutes, marking his first win of the year and his third consecutive victory over Lin. This win extends Chou's head-to-head advantage over Lin to 5-2.

The match began with both players taking turns in the lead during the first game, eventually tying at 14. However, the 35-year-old Chou executed a decisive 7-0 run, his longest scoring streak of the match, to secure a 1-0 lead.

In the second game, Chou maintained his dominance and never trailed Lin again. After the score was last tied at five, Chou surged ahead and achieved another seven straight points following a 14-12 lead, which allowed him to close out the match.

Lin's last victory against Chou was in the final of the Super 300-level Swiss Open in late March 2024. Despite the win, Chou remained focused on his performance and areas for improvement, stating to CNA, "It was just a match. I still have a lot of room to improve."

This match marked the second consecutive edition of the Super 1000 tournament where Chou faced a Taiwanese player in the opening round. In the 2025 edition, he was eliminated in the quarterfinals by China's world No. 1 Shi Yuqi.

Chou is now aiming for his first-ever semifinal appearance at the Malaysia Open and will next face world No. 14 Kenta Nishimoto of Japan in the round of 16. Chou holds a 10-6 career head-to-head advantage over Nishimoto.