Chen, now ranked third in the world, suffered an early exit from the six-time champion of the tournament.

Taufik entered into the court with high confidence as always when at home events and quickly led 11-1 with attacking play. Hardly making unforced errors, the Asian champion sealed the opening game 21-8.

Chen changed the way he played and tried very hard to prevent Taufik from delivering smashes¹ by frequently putting the shuttlecock in his opponent's left-hand side. The strategy worked as the Indonesian began making mistakes.

The second game ended 21-15 for Chen.

Taufik regained² his confidence in the deciding game as Chen had to cope with another pressure: the noisy home crowd. Taufik won 21-15.

"I think Chen played too carefully in his opening match. That gave me a chance to attack," Taufik told reporters shortly after the clash³.

Both players now tie 1-1 in their head-to-head matches