Ratchanok seeks third time lucky
TOKYO: Ratchanok Intanon faces Chen Yufei for the third time at the US$325,000 Japan Open today.
Having lost their two previous meetings against the reigning junior world champion, Ratchanok will be determined to finally end her losing streak against the Chinese as she is bidding to win her first Superseries title of the year.
Chen rallied from a game down to stun Ratchanok 14-21, 21-16, 21-12 in the quarter-finals of the world championships in Glasgow, Scotland, last month.
The 19-year-old rising star also won their first meeting at the 2016 Korea Open.
Seventh seed Ratchanok began her campaign yesterday with a 22-20, 21-12 win over Indonesia’s Fitriani Fitriani while unseeded Chen beat Kirsty Gilmour of Scotland 21-19, 21-13 at Tokyo Metropolitan Gymnasium.
Unfortunately, the other Thai women failed to get past the first hurdle. Busanan Ongbamrungphan, Nitchaon Jindapol and Pornpawee Chochuwong all lost their openers.
Busanan’s conqueror Aya Ohori next faces fellow Japanese Haruko Suzuki, who earned her place in the second round when top seed Tai Tzu-ying of Taiwan withdrew from the tournament.
Both Thai men’s singles hopes crashed out in the first round. Tanongsak Saensomboonsuk went out to Denmark’s world champion Viktor Axelsen 8-21, 13-21 while Khosit Phetpradab lost to Sameer Verma of India 12-21, 19-21.
Bodin Isara and Nipitphon Phuangphuphet made it to the second round of the men’s doubles after they defeated Jones Ralfy Jansen and Josche Zurwonne of Germany 21-12, 21-15.
In the women’s doubles, Jongkolphan Kititharakul and Rawinda Prajongjai advanced with a 20-22, 21-16, 21-10 win over Maiken Fruergaard and Sara Thygesen of Denmark.
In other notable results yesterday,
Spain’s two-time world champion Carolina Marin and home hopes Akane Yamaguchi and Nozomi Okuhara all came through their first round matches.
Fifth seed Marin, the gold medallist at last summer’s Rio Olympics, started her campaign for her first Japan Open title with a 21-11, 21-11 win over China’s Chen Xiaoxin, who defeated her in the Indonesia Open in June.
Second seed Yamaguchi was pushed hard by Lee Jang-Mi of South Korea before winning 17-21, 21-15, 21-14.
Okuhara, who won Japan’s maiden world championship gold medal last month, also advanced after she beat Cheung Ngan Yi of Hong Kong 21-15, 21-13.
Okuhara, a Rio bronze medallist, is chasing her second Japan Open title.