Crowd favourite and cancer survivor Chou Tien-chen suffers agonising Hong Kong Open loss
Indian progresses following two dramatic games to seal Sunday final date with mainland China’s Li Shifeng
Crowd favourite Chou Tien-chen said he had no excuses for his agonising Saturday night Li-Ning Hong Kong Open semi-final defeat by unseeded Lakshya Sen.
Taiwan’s Chou, the No 3 seed, who has returned to the elite end of his sport following a cancer diagnosis two years ago, lost 23-21, 22-20 in a gripping 56-minute clash with tenacious Indian Sen.
Li Shifeng of China, the No 2 seed, overcame France’s Christo Popov 21-18, 21-19 in the other last-four clash.
Chou was furious that Sen got away with what looked like a double hit as he played a delicate drop shot late in the opening game, and the 35-year-old was still complaining to a referee assessor in the bowels of Hong Kong Coliseum minutes after coming off court. There is no video assistant referee in badminton, only line technology.
“It was really sad it happened, but there are no excuses for this loss from me, and I will keep improving myself,” Chou said.
Battling both a powerful, agile Chou, and a large, partisan support, Sen needed three game points before he edged in front.