Thai shuttlers in impressive runs
Bas-Popor, May, View reach last four in KL
Thai players booked three semi-final berths at the US$675,000 Malaysia Open in Kuala Lumpur yesterday.
Mixed doubles duo Dechapol “Bas” Puavaranukroh and Sapsiree “Popor” Taerattanachai, Ratchanok “May” Intanon in the women’s singles, and Kunlavut “View” Vitidsarn in the men’s singles all secured wins in the quarter-finals.
Top seeds Dechapol and Sapsiree beat Taiwanese sixth seeds Tang Chunman and Tse Ying-suet 21-13, 21-14 in the World Tour Super 750 event.
In today’s semi-finals, the Thai pair will take on Chinese fourth seeds Wang Yilyu and Huang Dongping who beat South Korea’s Kim Won-Ho and Jeong Na-Eun 21-8, 21-16.
Dechapol and Sapsiree are determined to go all the way after suffering two successive first-round exits in Indonesia last month.
With the setbacks, they dropped to No.2 in the world.
In the other mixed doubles last-four contest, second seeds Zheng Siwei and Huang Yaqiong of China meet Denmark’s Mathias Christiansen and Alexandra Boje.
Zheng and Huang edged past eighth seeds Thom Gicquel and Delphine Delrue from France 25-23, 22-20 in the quarter-finals.
Christiansen and Boje defeated Dutch duo Robin Tabeling and Selena
Piek 21-19, 21-12.
Eighth seed Ratchanok beat China’s Han Yue 22-20, 21-12 in the quarter-finals.
In the semi-finals, the former world champion is up against China’s Wang Zhiyi who rallied to beat Denmark’s Line Hojmark Kjaesfeldt 9-21, 21-10, 21-17.
Second seed Tai Tzu-ying of Taiwan faces Chinese fourth seed and Olympic champion Chen Yufei in the other lastfour match.
Tai defeated Chen in the same round on her way to winning the Indonesia Open title last month.
In the men’s singles quarter-finals, Kunlavut came from behind to beat China’s Lu Guangzu 15-21, 21-10, 21-17.
The Thai faces second seed Kento Momota of Japan or Shesar Hiren
Rhustavito of Indonesia in the last four. Top-ranked Viktor Axelsen of Denmark meets seventh seed Jonatan Christie of Indonesia in the other semi-final.