Star Ratchanok keeps title defence alive
NEW DELHI: Defending champion Ratchanok Intanon of Thailand continued her quest for the third India Open title after reaching the quarter-finals of the BWF Superseries tournament here yesterday.
Playing in only her second event this year, world No.7 Ratchanok claimed another Chinese victim, defeating Zhang Yiman 21-14, 21-19 in the second round of the US$325,000 tournament at Siri Fort Indoor Stadium.
Ratchanok, who also won the New Delhi tournament in 2013 for her first ever Superseries title, beat China’s rising star Gao Fangjie in the first round on Wednesday.
Looking sharp and fully fit, Ratchanok’s quick movement and deft touches proved too much for Zhang as the Thai cruised through the opening game in 16 minutes.
Zhang put up more resistance in the second game and forced Ratchanok to dig deep before the Thai star was able to secure her place in the last eight.
A real test, however, awaits fifth seed Ratchanok today when she meets world No.2 Sung Ji-Hyun in the quarter-finals.
The Korean second seed was in impressive form as she crushed Linda Zetchiri of Bulgaria 21-6, 21-8 to advance.
Sung leads their head-to-head record 7-6. The two last met at the Dubai World Superseries Finals last December where Sung won 21-19, 21-12.
Prior to the Dubai meeting, Ratchanok had won four straight matches against the 25-year-old Korean dating back to January 2014.
Ratchanok, who has set the semi-final as her target this week, was a losing finalist at the All England Open in Birmingham earlier this month.
Meanwhile Japanese fourth seed Akane Yamaguchi also made it to the last eight with a 21-16, 21-13 victory over Lyanny Alessandra Mainaky of Indonesia.
Pornpawee Chochuwong, the only other Thai left in the women’s singles, was scheduled to meet sixth seed Saina Nehwal of India late last night.
Playing in the bottom half of the draw, Pornpawee could meet Ratchanok in the semi-finals.
Pornpawee defeated Hsu Ya Ching of Taiwan 21-16, 21-13 in the first round, while eighth seeded compatriot Busanan Ongbamrungphan went out to China’s Chen Xiaoxin 17-21, 21-16, 21-15 on Wednesday.
Earlier, eighth seeds Bodin Isara and Savitree Amitrapai continued to fly the flag for Thailand in the mixed doubles after booking their last-eight berth with a 21-11, 21-8 win over Choi Soi-Gyu and Chae YooJung of South Korea.
They will next take on third seeds Chris Adcock and Gabrielle Adcock of England who scraped past Lee Yang and Hsu Yaching of Taiwan 23-21, 22-20.
In the women’s doubles, fifth seeds Jongkolphan Kititharakul and Rawinda Prajongjai lost to Japan’s Yuki Fukushima and Sayaka Hirota 23-21, 21-12.
Fourth seeds Puttita Supajirakul and Sapsiree Taerattanachai were scheduled to play their second round match late last night.