Tanongsak to cross swords with Chinese legend Lin
Tanongsak Saensomboonsuk will take on Chinese legend Lin Dan in the quarter-finals of the US$200,000 Korea Masters in Gwangju today.
The Thai former world No.9, whose rankings has plummeted to No.39, upset world No.9 Angus Ng Ka Long of Hong Kong 21-12, 21-19 to earn a lasteight clash against Lin in the men’s singles event.
Tanongsak is the last remaining Thai player in the BWF World Tour Super 300 event. The 29-year-old was a finalist at the US Open — a Super 300 event — in July and the Indonesia Masters — a Super 100 event — last month.
Lin, a five-time world champion and the 2008 and 2012 Olympic champion, has had a tough season, losing eight times in the first round this year. The 36-year-old got knocked out in the second round at the Hong Kong Open last week.
Once the world No.1, Lin’s ranking has fallen to 16th.
Three other Thai hopes in the singles events bowed out yesterday.
Seventh seed Kantaphon Wangcharoen was upset by Lin Chun-yi of Taiwan 21-16, 14-21, 13-21, while rising star Kunlavut Vitidsarn lost to Japan’s Koki Watanabe 16-21, 16-21 in the men’s singles event.
Kunlavut, 19, made history after becoming the first boys’ singles player to win three successive world junior titles in Kazan, Russia, last month.
Busanan Ongbamrungphan also went down to fifth seed Sung Ji-Hyun of South Korea 15-21, 21-15, 12-21 in the women’s singles event.
Men’s doubles pair Nipitphon Phuangphuapet and Tanupat Viriyangkura also crashed out after losing to Choi Sol-Gyu and Seo Seung-Jae of South Korea 12-21, 9-21.