Taiwanese Olympic gold medalists and ace badminton duo Lee Yang (??) and Wang Chi-lin (???) were defeated by their Malaysian counterparts Man Wei Chong (???) and Tee Kai Wun (???) in a three-game thriller in the men’s doubles final in the Taipei Open on Sunday.

In the match that lasted for 54 minutes, Lee and Wang, the men’s doubles winners at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, lost to their opponents 18-21, 21-11, 18-21 at Taipei Heping Basketball Gymnasium.

The second-place finish, however, still marked the first time the Taiwanese pair has reached a tournament final this year and the best result for the two in this tournament since teaming up in the Taipei Open in 2019.

In a post-game interview, Wang told reporters that it was a pity that the pair had failed to clinch the title in front of a full crowd of Taiwanese fans, who had given them a major boost in the tournament and helped them reach the finals.

Lee, meanwhile, said his previous best placing at the Taipei Open was also a second-place finish in 2017, albeit with a different partner. “Apparently luck was not on my side, again,” he said.

Though the second-place finish was disappointing, Lee also said that the past few days in the Taipei Open had taught them something new and exposed some weaknesses that they still need to work on.

On Sunday’s match, after losing the first game, the Taiwanese duo managed to tie the match in the second game and carry momentum into the all-important final game.

Leading the third game 18-17, however, Lee and Wang then lost four straight points to the Man-Tee pair and surrendered the men’s doubles title to the visiting Malaysians.

The 2022 Taipei Open, a Super 300 event that carries a total purse of US$500,000 (NT$14.950 million), is being held for the 39th time, with the participation of 92 players from 26 countries.

The tournament was canceled in 2020 and 2021 due to challenges resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic.

Source: Focus Taiwan News Channel