TOKYO: World No.13 Busanan Ongbamrungphan moved closer to winning the elusive badminton medal for Thailand after defeating Estonia's Kristin Kuuba 21-16, 21-12 to top Group D in the women's singles at the Musahino Forest Plaza on Tuesday.
Boxer Sudaporn Seesondee of Thailand (right) in action against Maria Jose Palacios Espinoza of Ecuador in the women's lightweight last-32 round.
The 2015 SEA Games singles gold medallist relied on her superior all-court game to deal with the challenge from the 51st ranked Estonian, winning the match in 44 minutes to remain unbeaten at the Tokyo Olympics.
"I'm very happy. I know Kuuba is very strong from the back of the court and, with her deception, at the front too. But I focused on playing one point at a time and making her run," said Thailand's No.2 female player.
Busanan's reward for winning the group is a daunting encounter in the last-16 round against the up-and-coming An Se-Young of South Korea, ranked eighth in the world.
An toppled Ajoke Adesokan Dorcas of Nigeria 21-13, 21-6 to finish top of Group C.
The 19-year-old South Korean, a five-time winner on the BWF World Tour, has won both her previous clashes with Busanan in straight games.
"She's a very strong player too. Her movement is good. I need to be ready," the Thai said of the Korean.
Meanwhile, in Group D of the women's doubles, Thai duo Jongkolphan Kititharakul and Rawinda Prajongjai ended their Tokyo campaign winless with an 11-21, 21-16, 17-21 defeat to Garbiela and Stefani Stoeva of Bulgaria.
Four Thai shuttlers will be in action today.
In her final Group N match, world No.6 Ratchanok Intanon takes on Soniia Cheah Su Ya of Malaysia in the women's singles.
The 2013 world champion must win the match to keep her hopes in Tokyo alive.
In the men's singles Group K action, Thailand No.1 Kantaphon Wangcharoen needs to beat Toby Penty of Great Britain to emerge as the group winner and reach the last 16.
However, a Herculean task awaits the mixed doubles pair of Dechapol Puavaranukroh and Sapsiree Taerattanachai, as they confront 2019 world championships bronze medallists Yuta Watanabe and Arisa Higashino of Japan in the quarter-finals.
In their previous meeting at the 2019 Malaysian Masters final, it was the Japanese duo who prevailed 21-18 21-18.
Thailand have so far won medals in only three sports -- weightlifting, boxing and taekwondo.
In table tennis, Suthasini Sawettabut was defeated by Japan's Mima Ito in the women's singles last-16 round.
In boxing, Sudaporn Seesondee beat Ecuador's Maria Jose Palacios Espinoza 5-0 in the women's lightweight (60kg) to reach the last-16 round.
But Baison Maneekon lost 5-0 to China's Gu Hong in the last-16 round of the women's welterweight (69kg).
Meanwhile, Moroccan heavyweight boxer Youness Baalla attempted to bite David Nyika's ear during his defeat to the New Zealander.
The 22-year-old was subsequently disqualified for unsportsmanlike behaviour, although he was already out of the Games anyway following his unanimous-points loss in the round-of-16 bout.
A Tokyo 2020 statement called Baalla's actions "intolerable", saying that he "very clearly intended to bite the ear/face of his opponent in the third round of the bout".