Onus on Jongkolphan, Rawinda
Ratchanok, Nitchaon exit early at worlds
NANJING: Jongkolphan Kititharakul and Rawinda Prajongjai are the only Thai survivors at the world championships after the seventh seeded pair advanced to the women’s doubles quarter-finals at Nanjing Olympic Sports Centre yesterday.
Jongkolphan and Rawinda teamed up to defeat Maiken Fruergaard and Sara Thygesen of Denmark 21-19, 21-13 and will meet Japanese 11th seeds Mayu Matsumoto and Wakana Nagahara in the last eight today.
Matsumoto and Nagahara eliminated reigning Olympic champions Misaki Matsutomo and Ayaka Takahashi 21-13, 21-15 in an all-Japanese clash yesterday.
In the women’s singles, both Ratchanok Intanon and Nitchaon Jindapol exited the tournament yesterday.
Fourth seed Ratchanok, the 2013 champion, suffered an upset against 10th seed Saina Nehwal of India, losing 16-21, 19-21, while Nitchaon was beaten by second seed Akane Yamaguchi of Japan 12-21, 12-21.
Fifth seed Chen Yufei and No.6 seed He Bingjiao, both from China, also progressed.
In the mixed doubles, 10th seeds Dechapol Puavaranukroh and Sapsiree Taerattanachai put up a brave fight but their battling effort still was not good enough to stop Danish fourth seeds Mathias Christiensen and Christinna Pedersen, who won the thrilling last-16 encounter 21-15, 21-23, 21-10.
Chayanit Chaladchalom and Phataimas Muenwong, the other Thai pair in the women’s doubles, also lost against Indonesia’s Della Destiara Haris and Rizki Amelia Pradipta of Indonesia 16-21, 12-21.
Meanwhile Chinese legend Lin Dan’s bid for a sixth world title met a sorry end as the man widely regarded as the best player of all time was well beaten by compatriot Shi Yuqi in the last 16.
The 34-year-old “Super Dan” was the most high-profile casualty on a day when men’s No.1 and reigning champion Viktor Axelsen of Denmark and women’s top-tanked Tai Tzu-ying of Taiwan both progressed.
Lin, a two-time Olympic and five-time world champion, may be reaching the end of his career but he remains the biggest draw in badminton.
The crowd willed him on against his younger opponent Shi, 22, but Lin bowed out with a whimper, 21-15, 21-9.
Shi, the third seed, joins Axelsen and Japan’s strongly fancied Kento Momota in the quarter-finals.
The 24-year-old Axelsen pulled through against 10th seed Angus Ng Ka-long of Hong Kong and will play China’s Olympic champion Chen Long in a mouthwatering showdown.
In the women’s singles action, hot favourite Tai recovered from a slow start to book her place in the last eight, where she was joined by Spain’s Olympic champion Carolina Marin.
Tai was behind in the opening exchanges against Zhang Beiwen, the Chinese-born American who needed internet crowd funding to make it to Nanjing.
But the 24-year-old Tai’s quality shone through, winning 21-19, 21-14 in 34 minutes to set up a meeting with China’s sixth seed He.