Taipei Times
Date: Jan 30, 2018.
By:. Dave Carroll  /  Staff reporter

Chang Kai-chen yesterday won the Taiwanese showdown on the first day of the Taiwan

Open at the Heping Sports Complex in Taipei, while Chinese second seed Zhang Shuai fell to a shock defeat.

World No. 273 Chang defeated Taiwanese wild-card Lee Ya-hsuan, ranked No. 384, 7-5, 6-2 in 72 minutes in the first round of the singles.

In the first ever meeting of the Taiwanese players on the WTA Tour, Chang saved three of seven break points and converted seven of 10, winning 66 of the 114 points contested, despite racking up eight double faults.

In the second round Chang is due to face fifth seed Yulia Putintseva, who survived a hard-fought second set to overcome Junri Namigata of Japan 6-2, 6-4 in 1 hour, 36 minutes.    [FULL  STORY]

Taipei Times
Date: Jan 31, 2018
By: Dave Carroll  /  Staff reporter

Taiwan’s Chan Hao-ching yesterday advanced to the quarter-finals of the doubles at the

Taiwan Open in Taipei, while Chinese top seed Peng Shuai crashed out of the first round of the singles.

Top seeds Chan and Timea Babos had to rally from a set down against Anna Blinkova of Russia and Magda Linette of Poland to complete a 3-6, 6-0, 10-5 victory in 68 minutes at the Heping Sports Complex.

The Taiwanese-Hungarian duo saved six of nine break points and converted four of nine, winning 58 of the 106 points contested.

Chan is defending the title she won at the Taipei Arena last year with elder sister Latisha Chan, while Babos is playing her first tournament since winning the doubles at the Australian Open last week alongside Kristina Mladenovic.    [FULL  STORY]

Taipei Times
Date: Jan 30, 2018
By: Dave Carroll  /  Staff reporter

Chang Kai-chen yesterday won the Taiwanese showdown on the first day of the Taiwan

Open at the Heping Sports Complex in Taipei, while Chinese second seed Zhang Shuai fell to a shock defeat.

World No. 273 Chang defeated Taiwanese wild-card Lee Ya-hsuan, ranked No. 384, 7-5, 6-2 in 72 minutes in the first round of the singles.

In the first ever meeting of the Taiwanese players on the WTA Tour, Chang saved three of seven break points and converted seven of 10, winning 66 of the 114 points contested, despite racking up eight double faults.

In the second round Chang is due to face fifth seed Yulia Putintseva, who survived a hard-fought second set to overcome Junri Namigata of Japan 6-2, 6-4 in 1 hour, 36 minutes.    [FULL  STORY]

Radio Taiwan International
Date: 2018-01-28

The world’s number one female badminton player, Tai Tzu-ying from Taiwan, has won

her first title of the season. Tai easily defeated a long-term competitor, Saina Nehwal of India at the Indonesia Masters on Sunday.

Tai had an 8-5 career record against Nehwal going into the match and had won their last six encounters dating back to 2014. She was in control throughout the match and overwhelmed her Indian opponent 21-9, 21-13 in just 27 minutes.

The 23-year-old Taiwanese said she was happy to win the title, especially because another of the major events on her calendar this year, the Asian Games, will also be held in Jakarta, in late August.

Tai reached the finals of her first tournament of the year, last week’s Malaysia Masters, but fell to Thai player Ratchanok Intanon 21-16, 14-21, 24-22.    [FULL  STORY]

Tai Tzu-ying is the world’s top ranked women’s badminton player
 
Taiwan News
Date: 2018/01/28
By: Central News Agency

TAIPEI (CNA) — Taiwan’s Tai Tzu-ying (戴資穎) easily dispatched old foe Saina Nehwal

of India at the Indonesia Masters on Sunday to secure her first women’s singles badminton title of the young season.

The world No. 1, who had an 8-5 career mark against Nehwal and had won their last six encounters dating back to 2014, was in control throughout the match and overwhelmed her Indian opponent 21-9, 21-13 in just 27 minutes.

A day earlier after reaching Sunday’s final with a difficult 21-19, 21-19 over recent Tai nemesis Ratchanok Intanon of Thailand, Nehwal had high hopes that her form and fitness had finally returned after a 2017 marred by injuries.    [FULL  STORY]

Focus Taiwqan
Date: 2018/01/28
By: Joseph Yeh, CNA staff reporter

American football may be the most popular sport in the United States, but it has had

trouble catching on almost anywhere else, including in Taiwan.

A lack of familiarity with the sport, complicated rules and hefty equipment requirements have made it a particularly hard sell here, either as a spectator or participatory sport.

Some teams playing a simplified version of the sport — flag football — have sprung up in Taiwan, because there’s no tackling and no need for the cumbersome pads and helmets.

But there were no local options for hardcore American football lovers until late 2015, when a group of players formed a tackle football squad with full gear called the Predators.    [FULL  STORY]

Focus Taiwan
Date: 2018/01/27
By: Ko Lin and Huang Ruei-hung

Taipei, Jan. 27 (CNA) Taiwanese online gamer Tseng Chia-chen (曾家鎮) won The King

of Fighters XIV during the Evolution Championship Series (EVO) in Tokyo on Saturday, becoming the second Taiwanese ever to capture the tournament’s title.

Tseng defeated an opponent from Hong Kong in the final of the tournament, which is being held as part of the three-day EVO Japan championship in the city’s Sunshine City Bunka Kaikan Bldg. and Akiba Square, which is to host Sunday’s championship match.    [FULL  STORY]

Wei-Chung Wang, 25 years old, was born in Taitung County and formerly played with the Milwaukee Brewers

Taiwan News 
Date: 2018/01/27
By: Duncan DeAeth, Taiwan News, Staff Writer

TAIPEI (Taiwan News) – A left-handed pitcher will become the first Taiwanese baseball

player to join South Korea’s professional league.

Wei-Chung Wang (王維中), 25 years old, and born in Taitung County has just signed a one year contract for US$ 900,000 with the NC Dinos in the Korean Baseball Organization (KBO), reports Yonhap News.

Wang has formerly played for the American Major League. He held contracts with both the Pittsburgh Pirates as well as the Milwaukee Brewers, however he was never fielded by the Pirates, mainly because of a surgical operation.

He made his MLB debut in 2014 with the Brewers. From 2015 to 2017, he was reassigned to the minor leagues, before rejoining the Brewers in 2017. In total he played 22 games for the Brewers, according to Yonhap News.    [FULL  STORY]