Land Bank Badminton Team's Lin Zhi-Yun and Hsu Yin-Hui Claim Bronze at 2026 Japan Super 750 Open

The Land Bank Badminton Team's Lin Zhi-Yun and Hsu Yin-Hui maintained their excellent form, following up their women's doubles bronze medal at the '2026 Australia Super 500 Open' with another bronze at the '2026 Japan Super 750 Open'.

World-ranked 12th, Lin and Hsu competed as unseeded players at the Japan Super 750 Open. Their opening match in the Round of 32 was a tough battle against Malaysia's Chen Kang Le and Tina, the 5th seeds, ranked 5th in the world and fourth-place finishers at the '2024 Paris Olympics'. Prior to this match, Lin and Hsu had a losing record of 0 wins and 3 losses against the pair. The opponents won the first game 21-9, but Lin and Hsu refused to give up, winning the second and deciding games 21-17 each to secure their first-ever victory against the duo and end a three-match losing streak.

They advanced to the semifinals by defeating pairs from Hong Kong and Indonesia 2-0 in the Round of 16 and quarterfinals, respectively.

In the semifinals, they faced the 6th-seeded South Korean pair Kim Hye Jeong and Kong Hee Yong, ranked 6th in the world and eventual champions. The two pairs had no prior history. In the first game, Lin and Hsu fell behind early and trailed by five points at the technical timeout. However, they fought back to level the score at 18-18, only to concede three consecutive points, losing 18-21. In the second game, they adjusted their strategy, improving both offense and defense, and remained competitive throughout. However, after reaching 18-19, they allowed their opponents to score two straight points, narrowly missing their first Super 750 final.

Since teaming up in 2023, Lin and Hsu began competing in lower-tier international events and quickly showed promise, winning bronze at the 2023 Kaohsiung Super 100 Masters, silver at the 2023 Bendigo International Challenge and 2023 Korea Super 300 Masters, and gold at the 2024 Poland and Sydney International Challenges. As their world ranking improved, they stepped up to higher-level tournaments, achieving notable results including bronze at the 2025 U.S. and Canada Super 300 Opens, silver at the 2025 German Super 500 Open, bronze in the women's team event at the 2026 Asian Team Championships, and bronze at the 2026 Australia Super 500 Open. Currently ranked 4th in the year-end finals standings, they remain in contention for a top-eight qualification if they perform well in the second half of the season.

The Land Bank Badminton Team has delivered outstanding performances in international Super 300 and higher-level events this year. Highlights include: 'Left-handed powerhouse' Lin Chun-Yi winning the men's singles title at the '2026 All England Super 1000 Open'—the highest-level badminton tournament in the UK—becoming the first Taiwanese men's singles champion in the tournament's over-a-century history. He also won the '2026 India Super 750 Open', making him the first Taiwanese player to win a men's singles title at a Super 750 event. Additionally, the 'twin duo' Li Fang-Ren and Li Fang-Zhi claimed the men's doubles title at the 'Swiss Super 300 Open'. Su Li-Yang, and Liu Guang-Heng/Hsu Yin-Hui won men's singles and mixed doubles titles, respectively, at the 'U.S. Super 300 Open'. Lin Chun-Yi, and Wang Chi-Lin/Qiu Xiang-Jie earned men's singles and men's doubles bronze medals at the '2026 German Super 300 Open'. Chen Cheng-Kuan/Liu Guang-Heng and Lin Zhi-Yun/Hsu Yin-Hui secured men's and women's doubles bronze medals at the '2026 Australia Super 500 Open'. Chen Zi-Rui/Lin Yu-Jie took silver in men's doubles at the 'U.S. Super 300 Open'. Liu Guang-Heng/Hsu Yin-Hui earned mixed doubles silver at the '2026 Canada Super 300 Open'.

As a pioneer in Taiwan's badminton development, Land Bank allocates tens of millions of dollars annually to its badminton team, funding training equipment upgrades, hiring coaches and medical staff, and establishing a formal career pathway for athletes, ensuring smooth transitions into banking roles post-retirement. For these efforts, it has received the 'Sports Promoter Award' in the sponsorship category—'Gold Award', 'Long-term Sponsorship Award', and promotion category 'Gold Award'—for 17 consecutive years, and has earned the '114 Sports Enterprise Certification' for the first time.

This year (115th year) marks Land Bank's 80th anniversary. To celebrate, it has launched a badminton-themed exhibition, 'Expanding Land, Flourishing Heritage: Treasured Archives of 80 Years', and leverages eco-friendly credit cards like the 'Linyang Badminton Co-branded Card' and 'DoDo Sports Card' to allocate a portion of general spending back into badminton development and public welfare, using financial power to support sports. Additionally, this year marks the 50th anniversary of the Land Bank Badminton Team. From September 1 to November 25, the bank is hosting the 'Glory in Flight: 50 Years of Land Bank Badminton Team' special exhibition on the first floor of its main branch on Guanqian Road, Taipei City. The public is warmly invited to attend. Land Bank continues to fulfill its corporate social responsibility across sports, cultural preservation, and public welfare, aiming to co-create a sustainable future for business, society, and the environment.