Local stars contenders as Thailand Open starts today
Local stars could make a clean sweep at the SCG Thailand Open which begins today at Bangkok’s Nimibutr Gymnasium.
Thai players are top seeds in four of five events at the US$120,000 Grand Prix Gold tournament which has attracted more than 300 participants.
They are defending champion Tanongsak Saensomboonsuk in the men’s singles, Ratchanok Intanon in the women’s singles, holders Sapsiree Taerattanachai and Puttita Supajirakul in the women’s doubles, and Sapsiree and Dechapol Puavaranukroh in the mixed doubles.
Bodin Isara and Nipitphon Phuangphuapet are seeded second in the men’s doubles, behind Kim Astrup and Anders Skaarup Ramussen from Denmark.
World No.11 Tanongsak will be hoping that playing in front of his home fans will boost his chance of retaining the crown.
Tanongsak reached the All England quarter-finals after upsetting Olympic champion Chen Long of China.
However, he has since suffered a string of early exits and lost all of his matches at the Sudirman Cup in Australia where Thailand finished third.
Similarly, world No.9 Ratchanok advanced to the All England final but has since failed to deliver.
The 22-year-old had a creditable overall performance at the Sudirman Cup with two wins and one defeat.
Also in the women’s singles competition are Busanan Ongbamrungphan, who lost in last year’s final, and second seed Saina Nehwal of India.
However, it may be a bad omen for Tanongsak and women’s doubles pair Sapsiree and Puttita that no players have won back-to-back titles at the Thailand Open.
Thailand’s best bet may be mixed doubles pair Dechapol and Sapsiree who have enjoyed impressive results this year.
The duo won the Swiss Open title and were runners-up at the Singapore Open and Asia Championships.
They played a key role in Thailand’s third-place finish at the Sudirman Cup, winning all their matches in the world mixed team championship.
Tickets starting at 50 baht are available at Thai Ticket Major outlets or visit www. thaiticketmajor.com.