Ratchanok reaches Indonesia semis
Thai star outclasses Japan’s Okuhara in straight games to enter Indonesia Masters semi-finals
>> Thai badminton ace Ratchanok Intanon kept her bid for back-toback World Tour Super 500 titles on track by storming into the semifinals of the 2018 Indonesia Masters in Jakarta yesterday.
The fourth seeded Thai was in a scintillating form again as she demolished reigning world champion Nozomi Okuhara of Japan in straight games in yesterday’s quarter-finals.
Okuhara, seeded sixth for the tournament, put up a strong resistance in the opening game which she eventually conceded 21-17.
Ratchanok, who celebrated her elevation to No.4 spot in the world rankings on Thursday, completely dominated her rival in the second, winning 21-10.
The Thai star faces former world No.1 Saina Nehwal, who stunned second seed Pusarla V Sindhu in an all-Indian quarter-final.
Nehwal, whose meteoric rise in women’s badminton was bogged down by a spate of recurring injuries, started off well to claim the first game 21-13.
Sindhu did not go out of the US$350,000 tournament without putting up a fight but her best effort could not stop Nehwal, who is now down No.12 in the world rankings, from taking the second 21-19 and sealing her place in today’s semi-finals.
Ratchanok has played Nehwal 13 times with the Indian having an 8-5 edge over the Thai in their career head-to-head record. The last meeting between the two at the 2017 Indonesian Open ended in Nehwal’s favour.
Top-ranked Tai Tzu-ying of Taiwan, who was edged by Ratchanok in Sunday’s Malaysia Masters title showdown in Kuala Lumpur, was also impressive in her straight-game triumph over Sung Ji-Hyun.
Tai proved too good for the fifth-seeded South Korean, winning yesterday’s quarter-final 21-11, 21-8.
The Taiwanese world No.1 next meets eighth seed He Bingjiao in the semi-finals after the Chinese won a marathon battle against third seed Carolina Marin of Spain 21-19, 12-21, 21-16 yesterday.
Ratchanok is the only Thai left in the tournament as sixth seeds Jongkolphan Kititharakul and Rawinda Prajongjai of Thailand exited the women’s doubles competition at the quarter-final stage yesterday.
Jongkolphan and Rawinda lost to third seeded Danish pair of Kamilla Rytter Juhl and Christinna Pedersen 21-18, 21-10. Juhl and Pedersen take on second seeded Japanese Misaki Matsutomo and Ayaka Takahashi in the semi-finals today.