New york: Taiwan’s badminton ace Chou Tien-chen secured a semifinal berth in the men’s singles at the 2025 US Open on Friday.

According to Focus Taiwan, Chou, who entered the Super 300 tournament as the top seed, defeated Victor Lai of Canada with scores of 21-19 and 21-8, completing the match in 37 minutes. This marks Chou’s advancement to the semifinals for the second consecutive tournament.

Earlier in June, the 35-year-old athlete achieved runner-up status at the Indonesia Open, becoming the oldest male player to reach a Super 1000-level final. Chou is now set to compete against Ayush Shetty of India on Saturday for a place in the final.

In other results, 22-year-old Liao Jhuo-fu made headlines by defeating Japan’s second-seeded Kenta Nishimoto with scores of 21-18 and 21-8, earning his first semifinal position in a Super 300-level event. Liao will face Canada’s Brian Yang, who is currently ranked 33rd in the world.

Additionally, Friday was a landmark day for Taiwanese badminton as male doubles teams s
ecured all four semifinal spots, a feat not accomplished since 2010. Similarly, three Taiwanese female pairings advanced to the semifinals, continuing a strong national presence in the tournament. Taiwan’s last title in US Open women’s doubles was claimed in 2010.