Taiwan’s top male shuttler Chou Tien-chen (???) came second at the BWF Japan Open on Sunday after failing to outplay Kenta Nishimoto of Japan in Chou’s first-ever final at the tournament.

World No. 6 Chou advanced to the final to face World No. 21 Nishimoto after having outdueled World No. 22 Shi Yuqi (???) of China in their semifinal match on Saturday.

The 92-minute final concluded 19-21, 23-21, 17-21 in a home win for Nishimoto at the Super 750 tournament at Maruzen Intec Arena Osaka.

Chou got off to a rough start in the first game after Nishimoto bagged six consecutive points.

While Chou then caught up to Nishimoto to narrow the difference to three points, the players went into a timeout 5-11 in favor of the Japanese shuttler.

After the match resumed, Nishimoto’s aggressive style resulted in the score reaching 13-20.

Backed into a corner, Chou then defended the match point six times only to lose the first game 19-21.

While Nishimoto rode the momentum of his victory into the second game to reach a 0-3 lead, Chou was able to take control to lead 6-4.

The game then became a head-to-head battle for control, with Chou trailing 19-20 at match point.

At the end, Chou’s defensive play paid off for him as he secured a 23-21 come-from-behind win in the second game.

Unfortunately, Chou was unable to duplicate his momentum in the final game, trailing behind early on at 8-11.

Although Chou later caught up to trail by only one point, Nishimoto continued his aggressive style to extend his lead to 20-15.

While Chou was able to defend two subsequent match points, he still lost the game 17-21 and the match, finishing second in his first-ever Japan Open final.

Despite the defeat, Chou still holds an edge in their head-to-head meetings with eight wins in eleven matches.

Source: Focus Taiwan News Channel