World No.4 Chou Tien Chen is bringing something different to Spain ahead of the TotalEnergies BWF World Championships 2021 which begins Sunday in Huelva.

And after three quarterfinal places at previous editions, he feels now is the time to go that one or two steps further.

“I want to go beyond the quarterfinals,” Chou laughed.

“It’s God’s plan. I will work on my fitness. I really want to break past the quarterfinals. It will be a big challenge. There are many good players on the circuit right now. It will be hard.”

A tough field of quality players does lie ahead for the Chinese Taipei shuttler, with top players like Viktor Axelsen and Lee Zii Jia, both in incredible form, vying for the title.

“I would love the title, of course. Who wouldn’t?” he joked when asked about his targets for the prestigious tournament.

Exiting the Indonesia Open 2021 in the second round in Bali last month, after a defeat to Japan’s Kenta Nishimoto, gave the 31-year-old the opportunity to refocus and prepare for the prestigious event.

“That was a shame to be knocked out earlier than expected. I have the time to reset, refocus and prepare for the World Championships,” he said during the Bali leg.

“There are a lot of positives to take away from my time in Bali. Making the semifinals (of the DAIHATSU Indonesia Masters 2021) was really good. I thought I would make the final. I feel like my performance has improved a lot. I know if I want to continuously improve, I know I have to do something different.”

And just what is that, Chou?

“Well, you’ll have to wait and find out. I will work with my physio, plan out my strategy and go from there. But it’s important to take my time to rest up enough to be ready.”

Chou is drawn to open his campaign in Huelva against Thailand’s Sitthikom Thammasin.