KUALA LUMPUR: The usually cool Taiwanese shuttler, Chou Tien Chen, was left fuming today after a controversial call at match point which eventually ended his chance of upstaging world No. 1 Shi Yu Qi of China in the quarter-finals at the Malaysia Open at Axiata Arena today.
The controversy took place as Yu Qi, holding match point at 20-17, tapped a shot towards the baseline past Tien Chen, which was called out by the line judge.
However, the umpire overruled the call, saying that the shuttle had hit Tien Chen before landing on the court, and awarded the match to the China shuttler with a 21-16, 19-21, 21-17 score.
World No. 9 Tien Chen protested against the call, but to no avail.
If the umpire didn't overrule the line judge's call, the score in the third game would have been narrowed to 18-20 and would have given the 35-year-old veteran a fighting chance to produce an upset.
Tien Chen, who has often maintained his cool in matches, stormed out and cried foul during the post-match interview as he felt he was "robbed" of a chance to win.
"I have gone through this too many times where the umpire has been always making mistakes. I just don't know what to say," Tien Chen said.
However, Yu Qi believed that his shot had landed in, and he was ready to call for a television referral if the decision had gone against him.
"I was very sure the shuttle landed and I was ready to ask for a TV referral. However, the umpire said it was not necessary as the shuttle had hit Tien Chen and the match had ended," said Yu Qi.