Taipei: Taiwanese Olympic badminton men's doubles gold medalist Wang Chi-lin and his new partner Chiu Hsiang-chieh clinched the men's doubles title at the Yonex Taipei Open 2025 on Sunday, marking a significant achievement as the second Taiwanese team to secure a title that day.
According to Focus Taiwan, the duo, ranked 19th in the world, defeated South Korea's Kang Minhyuk and Ki Dongju with scores of 21-18, 21-15 in a 43-minute final. This victory marked their first doubles title since they teamed up last year, following the retirement of Wang's previous partner, Lee Yang.
Wang, who previously won the men's doubles gold medal at both the 2020 and 2024 Olympics, partnered with Chiu in August of the previous year. Together, they won all five matches at the tournament without dropping a game. Wang last claimed a Taipei Open men's doubles title in 2018 with his former partner, Chen Hung-lin. He expressed satisfaction with his new leadership role, stating, "Now it's my turn to set up the plays and lead the younger player."
Reflecting on their performance, Wang highlighted that reaching the round of 16 had been their best achievement this year. "Winning the championship at home this time really boosted our confidence," he remarked, acknowledging their recent improvement at the BWF Sudirman Cup.
Chiu shared that partnering with Wang was a motivational experience rather than a stressful one, indicating that the drive to improve was his primary source of pressure.
Their victory followed the success of Taiwanese women's doubles pair Hsieh Pei-shan and Hung En-tzu, who won their final against Japan's Mizuki Otake and Miyu Takahashi with a 21-14, 21-15 scoreline. This win marked a historic moment as Hsieh and Hung became the first Taiwanese women's team to win the event in 17 years.
Elsewhere in the tournament, Taiwan's Chou Tien-chen lost a hard-fought men's singles final to Singapore's Loh Kean Yew, with scores of 14-21, 21-15, 20-22. Chou, a four-time Taipei Open titleholder, last won the event in 2022.
The Yonex Taipei Open 2025, part of the HSBC BWF World Tour Super 300, offered a total prize money of US$240,000.