Kunlavut Vitidsarn and Busanan Ongbamrungphan advanced to the quarter-finals of the BWF World Championships on Thursday at Tokyo Metropolitan Gymnasium in Japan.
The 16th seed Kunlavut cruised past Kenta Nishimoto of Japan 21-13, 21-6 and will play eighth seed Loh Kean Yew of Malaysia in the last eight of the men's singles event on Friday. Loh made it through after his 10th seed opponent Angus Ng Ka Long of Hong Kong retired with an injury in the second game.
Women's singles star Busanan, the 12th seeded, battled past veteran Indian Saina Nehwal 21-17, 16-21, 21-13 to set up a quarter-final clash against second seed Tai Tzu-ying.
Tai downed Thi Trang Vu of Vietnam 21-15, 21-10.
Women's doubles pairs Jongkolphan Kititharakul/Rawinda Prajongjai and Puttita Supajirakul and Sapsiree Taerattanachai are the other Thais left in the championships.
Seventh seeds Jongkolphan and Rawinda rallied to beat 15th seeds Rin Iwanaga and Kie Nakanishi of Japan 19-21, 21-10, 21-12 while 14th seeds Puttita and Sapsiree upset eighth seeds Gabriela Stoeva and Stefanni Stoeva of Bulgaria 21-13, 21-12.
Other singles hopes Ratchanok Intanon, Pornpawee Chochuwong and Sitthikom Thammasin all bowed out on Thursday.
Former champion Ratchanok, who is seeded eighth, suffered a surprise 25-23, 16-21, 21-13 loss against 13th seed Michelle Li of Canada while Pornpawee, the 10th seed, crashed out to fourth seed Chen Yufei of China 21-17, 17-21, 21-10.
Men's singles player Sitthikom was sent packing after losing to top seed Viktor Axelsen of Denmark 21-19, 21-16.
Mixed doubles stars Dechapol Puavaranukroh and Sapsiree also exited the tournament. They were beaten by ninth seeds Mark Lamsfuss and Isabel Lohau of Germany 21-16, 21-14.
Meanwhile Japanese defending champion Akane Yamaguchi reached the women's singles quarter-finals yesterday by beating 14th-seeded compatriot Sayaka Takahashi in straight games.
Yamaguchi, the winner last year in Huelva, Spain, and the top seed, was made to work before taking the first game 21-18 but cruised 21-7 in the second to clinch the round-of-16 win in 36 minutes at Tokyo Metropolitan Gymnasium.
"I didn't rush and could play at my pace," said Yamaguchi, who varied the speed on her shots in the second game when she scored seven straight points.
Next up for Yamaguchi will be the fifth seed, Spain's Carolina Marin. The three-time world champion and 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympic gold medallist missed the Tokyo Olympics through injury.
Fifth seed Marin staved off four match points to book her place in the last eight with a 16-21, 21-15, 22-20 win over China's He Bingjiao, letting out a wild scream of celebration after sealing the deal.
Women's singles third seed An Se-Young of South Korea progressed after she beat 16th seed Zhang Beiwen of the US 21-12, 21-10.
In the men's singles event, fourth seed Chou Tien-chen of Taiwan defeated 14th seed Lee Cheuk Yiu of Hong Kong 21-16, 17-21, 21-18 while sixth seed Anthony Ginting of Indonesia ousted Shi Yuqi of China 21-11, 13-21, 21-18.
Japan's sixth-seeded Wakana Nagahara and Mayu Matsumoto reached the women's doubles quarter-finals for the fourth straight tournament, easing past China's 13th seeds, Du Yue and Li Wenmei, 21-13, 21-9 and staying on course to reclaim the title they won in 2018 and 2019.
In mixed doubles, Tokyo Olympic bronze medallists and third seeds Yuta Watanabe and Arisa Higashino of Japan advanced to the quarters with a 21-12, 21-19 win over Dutch 15th seeds Robin Tabeling and Selena Piek. bangkok post/afp