Ratchanok enters quarters
Ratchanok Intanon defeated Fitriani Fitriani 21-17, 21-16 to move into the quarter-finals of the Indonesia Masters in Jakarta yesterday.
The Thai fourth seed next faces reigning world champion Nozomi Okuhara for a place in the last four of the US$350,000 World Tour Super 500 tournament.
Sixth seed Okuhara of Japan defeated Taiwan’s Pai Yu-po 21-19, 21-18.
Ratchanok, who moved up a spot to No.4 when the new world rankings were released yesterday, is attempting to win her second title in as many weeks.
She defeated top-ranked Tai Tzu-ying to claim the Malaysia Masters title — her first win of the year — on Sunday.
Thailand Masters champion Nitchaon Jindapol failed to progress after losing 16-21, 11-21 to Korean fifth seed Sung JiHyun, who goes on to play top seed Tai in the last-eight round.
Tai, who needed three games to beat Michelle Li of Canada in the first round, had a much easier workout against fellow Taiwanese Lee Chia-hsin, winning their second round match 21-14, 21-13 in just 23 minutes.
Third seed Carolina Marin of Spain takes on No.8 seed He Bingjiao of China, while second seed PV Sindhu and Saina Nehwal set up an all-Indian clash in the other quarter-finals today.
Sixth seeds Jongkolphan Kititharakul and Rawinda Prajongjai booked their quarter-final berth after beating Maiken Fruergaard and Sara Thygesen of Denmark 21-19, 21-16 in the women’s doubles event.
There were no Thai players left in the men’s singles event after both Kantaphon Wangcharoen and Suppanyu Avihingsanon lost yesterday.
Qualifier Kantaphon, who knocked out fifth seed and five-time world champion Lin Dan of China in the first round, fell to Anthony Sinisuka Ginting of Indonesia 11-21, 14-21, while Suppanyu lost to third seed Chen Long of China 13-21, 8-21.