Made of sterner stuff: Taiwan’s Chou Tien-chen found out that he had colorectal cancer just before the last Asian Championships in April but he kept the news under wraps.
PETALING JAYA: One won his praise, the other his admiration.
Professional coach Wong Tat Meng gave credit to his player Lee Zii Jia and also his opponent Chou Tien-chen of Taiwan, after the former won the second-round match between the two in the Asian Championships in Ningbo, China, yesterday.
2022 Asian champion Zii Jia defeated Tien-chen 21-15, 21-17 to set up a match against reigning All-England champion Jonatan Christie of Indonesia in today’s quarter-final match.
Tien-chen is a cancer survivor.
Just before the last Asian Championships in April, the Taiwanese found out that he had colorectal cancer.
He, however, kept the news under wraps, went through treatment and surgery but kept playing the game. In fact, he only revealed what he had gone through over the past year after winning the Thailand Masters in January this year.
And Tat Meng said Tien-chen is an epitome of courage.
“It is incredibly inspiring and admirable for Chou to overcome cancer and continue to excel in top level badminton competitions,” said Tat Meng.
“I think he is a great example of what it means to embody the true spirit of sportsmanship. A great athlete is not only defined by the number of titles he wins but also his positive attitude and mindset in handling obstacles and challenges.
“Chou definitely motivates people in pursuing their dreams, not just in badminton but also in life. Hats off to Chou. I’ve great respect for him.”
On Zii Jia’s fine run, Tat Meng said it was due to a combination of a few factors.
“He was prepared in terms of game plan and physical condition. He stayed focused and was confident throughout the game. He handled tight scores and fought back in the second game quite well,” said Tat Meng.
“He also held a slight advantage in terms of his shots, which were effective, deceptive and had variety.”
Although Zii Jia has won the last five duels in the past nine meetings against Jonatan, Tat Meng prefers to be wary of Zii Jia’s match-up against the Indonesian today.
“Every tournament is a fresh start. Christie is a good player and had recently just won the All-England title,” said Tat Meng.
“Zii Jia has to be prepared for a tough match. It depends on who plays to their true form, I hope Zii Jia will win. We’ll prepare him to present a good match for all the badminton fans,” Tat Meng added.
RESULTS
(Malaysians only)
SECOND ROUND
Men’s singles: Lee Zii Jia bt Chou Tienchen (Tpe) 21-15, 21-17.
Men’s doubles: Goh Sze Fei-Nur Izzuddin Rumsani bt He Jiting-Ren Xiangyu (Chn) 21-11, rtd; Aaron Chia-Soh Woo Yik bt Kenya Mitsuhashi-Hiroki Okamura (Jpn) 21-18, 13-21, 21-14; Lee Jhe-huei-Yang Po-hsuan (Tpe) bt Man Wei Chong-Tee Kai Wun 21-18, 21-17.
FIRST ROUND
Men’s singles: Lee Zii Jia bt Priyanshu Rajawat (Ind) 21-9, 21-13;
Men’s doubles: Goh Sze Fei-Nur Izzuddin Rumsani bt Kang Min-hyuk-Seo Seung-jae (Kor) 21-13, 21-18; Aaron Chia-Soh Wooi Yik bt Hariharan Amsakarunan-Ruban Kumar Rethinasabapathi (Ind) 21-15, 21-14; Ayato Endo-Yuta Takei (Jpn) bt Ong Yew Sin-Teo Ee Yi 21-19, 15-21, 21-19; Man Wei Chong-Tee Kai Vun bt Chen Boyang-Liu Yi (Chn) 21-15, 21-12;
Women’s singles: P. V. Sindhu (Ind) bt Goh Jin Wei 18-21, 21-14, 21-19.
Women’s doubles: Jeong Na-eun-Kim Hyejeong (Kor) bt Vivian Hoo-Lim Chiew Sien 21-11, 21-10; Mayu Matsumoto-Wakana Nagahara (Jpn) bt Pearly Tan-M. Thinaah 19-21, 21-13, 21-16.
Mixed doubles: Dechapol Puavaranukroh-Sapsiree Taerattanachai (Tha) bt Yap Roy King-Valeree Siow 21-8, 21-15; Jiang Zhenbang-Wei Yaxin (Chn) bt Goh Soon Huat-Lai Shevon Jemie 21-15, 21-14; Zheng Siwei-Huang Yaqiong (Chn) bt Chen Tang Jie-Toh Ee Wei 21-15, 21-15; Dejan Ferdinansyah-Gloria Emanuelle (Ina) bt Tan Kian Meng-Lai Pei Jing 21-19, 21-11.
