Golden chance for Thai doubles duo
Dechapol, Sapsiree eye 1st title at home
World No.3 mixed doubles pair Dechapol Puavaranukroh and Sapsiree Taerattanachai of Thailand will be trying to claim their first title on home soil in the Asian leg which begins next week.
They are currently Thailand’s highest-ranked shuttlers in the world with No.5 Ratchanok Intanon, the country’s top player in the singles.
Dechapol and Sapsiree have won three titles on the World Tour — in Singapore, South Korea and Macau, all in the 300-500 levels.
The duo first came close to winning on home soil in 2018 before losing to Malaysia’s Chan Peng Soon and Goh Liu Ying in the final of the Thailand Masters.
Dechapol and Sapsiree reached the 2020 All England Open final before the season was suspended due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
In the absence of the world’s top two mixed doubles pairs from China, the Thai duo will relish their chance of being crowned champions in Bangkok.
However, they could face a tough challenge from Chan and Goh, who have been the most successful players in Thailand over the past five years.
The Malaysians were champions at the Princess Sirivannavari Thailand Masters in 2018 and 2019, beating Dechapol and Sapsiree on both occasions.
“I’d like to invite all Thai fans to come and cheer us. Please be our strength and encouragement,” Sapsiree said.
Sapsiree also teams up with Puttita Supajirakul to play in the women’s doubles.
The final stretch of the 2020 season starts with the Yonex Thailand Open, which will be followed by the Jan 19-24 Toyota Thailand Open, also a Super 1000 event, at Bangkok’s Muang Thong Thani.
The season will conclude at the HSBC BWF World Tour Finals from Jan 27-31.
The list of players qualified for the World Tour Finals will be determined after the Toyota Thailand Open.
The top-eight players and pairs for each category in the HSBC BWF Road to Bangkok Rankings will be invited to compete in the season finale, with eligibility limited to two players or pairs per a member association.
The three tournaments will be held behind closed doors and televised live on TrueVisions.
Unfortunately, the events will be without big names from Japan and China.
All Japanese players, including women’s world No.3 Akane Yamaguchi and No.4 Nozomi Okuhara, did not travel to Bangkok after compatriot Kento Momota, the top male player in the world, tested positive for Covid-19.
The Chinese Badminton Association has withdrawn its team from the Asian leg due to travel restrictions.
Top-ranked men’s doubles player Kevin Sanjaya Sukamuljo of Indonesia was forced to pull out of the Bangkok leg after testing positive for Covid-19, along with his partner Marcus Fernaldi Gideon who also tested positive.