Taiwanese women’s pair finish 2nd at Hylo Open

Taiwanese badminton players Hsu Yin-hui and Lin Jhih-yun on Sunday finished as runners-up in the women’s doubles at the Hylo Open in Germany, losing to their Indonesian competitors in the final.

The Taiwanese pair, ranked world No. 7, lost 18-21, 19-21 in the 45-minute final match against Indonesians Amallia Cahaya Pratiwi and Siti Fadia Silva Ramadhanti at the Badminton World Federation (BWF) World Tour Super 500 tournament.

After trailing 2-6 early in the opening game, the Taiwanese duo responded with a 10-3 run to move ahead 12-9.

Taiwanese badminton women’s doubles pair Hsu Yin-hui, back, and Lin Jhih-yun compete in the Artic Open in Finland in Vantaa, Finland, on Oct. 11.

Photo: CNA

However, the Indonesians, ranked world No. 12, reeled off six straight points with sharp net play and changes of pace, before closing out the game as Hsu and Lin struggled with unforced errors.

The second game was equally competitive, with Hsu and Lin holding a narrow lead for much of the contest and moving ahead 18-16 late in the game.

The momentum shifted after the Taiwanese pair committed a net error, and then lost a grueling 56-shot rally that allowed their opponents to level the score.

The setback dented Hsu and Lin’s morale, and their opponents converted their first championship point to seal the title.

It was the second time this year that Hsu and Lin were beaten in straight games by the Indonesian duo, following their loss at the German Open in February, although it was a much closer contest on Sunday.

The result marked Hsu and Lin’s seventh appearance in a semi-final on the BWF World Tour circuit this season. They have won one title — at the US Open — and finished as runners-up four times.

Lin and Hsu are to return to Taiwan before competing in the Kumamoto Masters Japan, which begins on Tuesday next week, and the Hong Kong Open, both BWF World Tour Super 500 tournaments, as they continue their push to qualify for the season-ending World Tour Finals.