Brave Kantaphon goes down fighting to tough Lee
>> Thailand’s Kantaphon Wangcharoen bowed out in the quarter-finals of the US$1.25 million Indonesia Open in Jakarta yesterday.
The 19-year-old Kantaphon fell to Malaysian legend Lee Chong Wei 13-21, 20-22 at the Gelora Bung Karno Sports Palace.
Kantaphon, who is currently ranked 27th in the world, is one of Thailand’s rising stars in the men’s game but a match-up against the former world No.1 Lee, who is 16 years his senior, proved too much for the youngster who lost the match in 43 minutes.
Kantaphon lost the first game easily but to his credit refused to bow down without a fight. He regrouped and pushed Lee hard in the second game. Lee’s experience, however, proved crucial as the seventh seed kicked it up a notch to nick it at the end.
Lee will play another unseeded player Kento Momota in today’s semifinals. The Japanese defeated Tommy Sugiarto of Indonesia 21-11, 21-15 in the other quarter-final.
Lee beat Momota in the Malaysia Open final in Kuala Lumpur last Sunday.
The Thai interest in the BWF World Tour Super 1000 tournament ended as Ratchanok Intanon also crashed out in the women’s singles event.
The fourth seed tamely lost to No.7 seed Sung Ji-Hyun of South Korea 12-21, 12-21 in just 36 minutes.
Sung next plays China’s fifth seed Chen Yufei, who knocked out second seed Akane Yamaguchi of Japan 23-21, 21-8.
Eighth seed He Bingjiao defeated third seed Pusarla V Sindhu of India 21-14, 21-15 to reach the semis.
China’s He next faces the winner of the match between top seed Tai Tzuying of Taiwan and Kirsty Gilmour of Scotland.
Tai beat He in the title match in Kuala Lumpur last Sunday.