It was close shave for Thai ace Ratchanok in first round
THAILAND women’s singles ace Ratchanok Intanon’s return to China for the World Championships after she was crowned the world champion in Guangzhou in 2013 almost turned into a nightmare.
Having lost her opening game, the 23-yearold was staring at a shock first-round defeat when she trailed Danish opponent Mia Blichfeldt 16-19 in the second game before the match was stopped.
Ratchanok appeared to have hurt her ankle and requested for medical assistance.
The breather did wonders for the Thai as she returned to the court stronger and fought back to avoid being the first major casualty in the tournament by pulling off a 16-21, 22-20, 21-10 in 76 minutes at the Youth Olympic Sports Park Arena.
“It was one of those days that you don’t feel like it’s favouring you,” said the world No. 4 Ratchanok.
“But I didn’t back down at 16-19. I knew I can fight back. Just when my opponent thought she had the chance to win, I struck back.
“Luckily, my ankle is alright. I can’t afford any more injuries as there’s also the Asian Games coming next.”
Ratchanok believes she prepared well despite not being in her best conditions in Nanjing. She had just recovered from a back injury that forced her to forget about defending her Thailand Open crown recently.
“Since the recent injury, I have worked doubly hard to make sure my fitness is in tip-top condition. Now the most important thing is my mental game, I need to be more calm and relaxed.”
Ratchanok has one advantage in China – she has all the backings from the stands.
“I never feel lonely as I go through my career with the ups and down because I know there are many people who support me,” said Ratchanok.
“I have the Chinese and even some Thai fans in the stadium cheering for me.
“This is where I won my first world title. I’ve been here many times too to play in the Chinese League, I’m loving it here.”
Ratchanok is the only shuttler to have beaten world No. 1 Tai Tzu-ying in the last 10 months and the fans will surely love to see them battle against each other once more. She beat Tzu-ying at last year’s China Open (November), Superseries Finals in Dubai (December) and the Malaysian Masters this year.
Barring any upset, the duo are expected to cross path in the semi-finals.