New delhi: Taiwanese badminton veteran Chou Tien-chen advanced to the men's singles semifinals at the 2026 BWF World Championships in India on Friday, securing the second world championships medal of his career. The 36-year-old world No. 6 defeated Indonesian rising star Alwi Farhan 21-15, 21-15 in 50 minutes to guarantee himself at least a bronze medal.According to Focus Taiwan, Chou entered the match with a 2-1 career record against the world No. 12 and used his defense and experience to neutralize Farhan's attacks, claiming his third win in their four meetings. Chou expressed satisfaction after the match, highlighting his ability to manage details and respond to his opponent's tactics effectively. He noted that although Farhan's attacks were sharp, his defensive play allowed him to maintain an advantage throughout the match.The opening game saw a closely contested battle, with Chou winning a significant 60-shot rally early on. After Farhan's brief comeback, Chou capitalized on the Indonesian's unforced errors, producing a decisive 7-1 run to lead 14-11. Chou further extended his lead after a serving fault was called against Farhan, eventually closing out the game at 21-15.In the second game, the score remained tight until 11-11, when Chou began shifting momentum in his favor through strategic play variations. Another service fault against Farhan with Chou leading 14-12, coupled with Chou's aggressive body smash, earned him six match points. The match concluded as Farhan's net shot hit the tape, securing Chou's victory.Chou, a regular quarterfinalist at the BWF world championships since 2013, celebrated his second career medal after previously reaching the semifinals in 2022. He is set to face Japan's world No. 11 Kodai Naraoka on Saturday for a place in the final, holding a 6-2 career advantage over the Japanese player.In addition to Chou's triumph, Taiwan also celebrated a victory in men's doubles as Lee Jhe-huei and Yang Po-hsuan defeated Indonesia's world No. 2 pair Fajar Alfian and Muhammad Shohib ul Fikri 21-19, 21-16. This win makes Lee and Yang only the second Taiwanese pair to reach the men's doubles semifinals at the world championships, following the footsteps of Chen Hung-ling and Wang Chi-lin, who secured bronze in 2018. Lee and Yang are scheduled to face China's Olympic silver medalists Wang Chang and Liang Weikeng, ranked third globally, in the semifinals.