Thailand steamroll Germany
Japan, Taiwan also impress in openers
Thailand overwhelmed Germany 5-0 to get their Uber Cup campaign off to a flying start at Impact Arena, Muang Thong Thani, yesterday.
Head coach Rexy Mainaky has high expectations for the women’s team and the players did not disappoint in front of their vocal home crowd yesterday.
World No.4 Ratchanok Intanon won the first point for Thailand with a comfortable 21-12, 21-16 victory over the 55th-ranked Luise Heim in just 38 minutes.
Jongkolphan Kititharakul and Rawinda Prajongjai made it 2-0 with a 21-13, 14-21, 21-10 win over Isabel Herttrich and Carla Nelte in the doubles tie before Nitchaon Jindapol handed Thailand an unbeatable 3-0 lead with a 21-12, 21-13 victory over Yvonne Li.
Puttita Supajirakul and Sapsiree Taerattanachai, in the doubles, and Busanan Ongbamrungphan then completed the whitewash with straight-game wins.
The Thai women play Hong Kong, who lost to Taiwan 4-1 yesterday, in their second Group B match today at 7pm.
Finishing top of the group was the target for Indonesian coach Mainaky.
“In the Uber Cup we want to go to the top of the group. We can win the group and then wait for the quarter-final draw,” said Mainaky this week.
The men’s team were due to play South Korea, led by former top-ranked Son WanHo, in their opening Group B match late last night.
The team are ranked outsiders as they are in a tough group that also includes Indonesia, who routed Canada 5-0 in their opening match yesterday.
Earlier, Japan’s women team put on a dominating performance, winning their Group A encounter against Australia 5-0.
World champion Nozomi Okuhara crushed Louisa Ma 21-6, 21-6 while second-ranked Akane Yamaguchi overcame Wendy Chen Hsuan-Yu 24-22, 21-19 in their singles matches.
Japan showed why they are favourites for the Uber Cup event when their doubles pair Misaki Matsutomo and Ayaka Takahashi blew away Australia’s Lee Yen Khoo and Ann-Louise Slee 21-3, 21-4.
Taiwan, who will meet Thailand on Wednesday, also got off to a winning start after they defeated Hong Kong 4-1 in their opening Group B match.
Led by world No.1 Tai Tzu-ying, the Taiwanese swept all the singles matches while Hong Kong Ng Wing Yung and Yeung Nga Ting won the only point for Hong Kong in the doubles.
In other opening matches, Canada defeated India 4-1 in Group A while South Korea routed Mauritius 5-0 in Group C.
Reigning champions China begin their Group D campaign against France today. The Chinese won the last three editions of the Uber Cup.
Meanwhile France’s Ronan Labar predicted a wide-open event in the Thomas Cup after his country got off the mark with a 4-1 victory against India in Group A.
“A lot of Asian teams are strong and always tough, but I think European teams, especially France, have become much more consistent in recent years,” Labar said after winning his doubles with Thom Gicquel 21-10, 21-12 against India’s Arun George and Sanyam Shukla.
“In general the level is more close now... It’s really open,” he added. “It can be one team winning and another one the next day.”
Reigning Thomas Cup champions Denmark, led by world No.1 Viktor Axelsen, take on Algeria in their opening Group D match today.
The Danes made history by becoming the first non-Asian team to take the silvergilt trophy two years ago.
But they must compete without doubles star Carsten Mogensen, who has been ruled out with sickness.
The world’s 16 top nations compete for the Thomas Cup and Uber Cup every two years with matches comprising three singles and two doubles.
The top-two teams from each of the four four-team groups from both events qualify for the knockout stages.