Taiwan Triumphs in Men’s Singles and Mixed Doubles at US Open Badminton

Taipei: Taiwanese badminton player Su Li-yang claimed victory in the men's singles championship at the Yonex US Open 2026, held in Fullerton, California. On the same day, his fellow Taiwanese athletes Hsu Yin-hui and Liu Kuang-heng secured the mixed doubles title.According to Focus Taiwan, Su, 24, who is currently ranked world No. 46, overcame India's world No. 38 Srikanth Kidambi with scores of 21-15, 16-21, 21-9 at the 17th Badminton World Federation (BWF) World Tour stop. This marks Su's first professional title, adding to his previous successes in BWF junior competitions where he won gold in 2018 and 2019.Despite a promising start to his career, Su faced challenges in recent years, finishing with a silver at the Taipei Open in 2023 and four runner-up positions at lower-level BWF international challenges and series events. His coach, Lee Sung-yuan, noted Su's tendency to play hastily, aiming to quickly overcome opponents, which led to a cycle of setbacks and diminishing confidence. Lee emphasized the i mportance of patience and pace control in Su's recent match against Srikanth.In the mixed doubles final, Taiwan celebrated further success as Hsu Yin-hui and Liu Kuang-heng defeated compatriots Wu Hsuan-yi and Yang Chu-Yun with scores of 21-9, 21-11. Hsu and Liu, a newly-formed pair ranked world No. 121, dominated the match against the more experienced world No. 49 duo, Wu and Yang, who previously won the mixed doubles title at the BWF's 61st Portugal International Championships in March.Liu expressed satisfaction with their performance, highlighting their ability to maintain control throughout the match. Hsu added that their clear understanding of roles, effective serving and returning, and quick communication contributed to their triumph.