Thai badminton stars readying for spectacular Sunday
text size

Thai badminton stars readying for spectacular Sunday

Four crowns up for grabs on the final day

Shocking run: Peeratchai Sukphun, right, and Pakkapon Teeraratsakul in action during their match.
Shocking run: Peeratchai Sukphun, right, and Pakkapon Teeraratsakul in action during their match.

Thai shuttlers will be bidding to win four titles at the US$210,000 BWF Princess Sirivannavari Thailand Masters 2024 at Nimibutr Stadium on Sunday.

Men's doubles pair Peeratchai Sukphun and Pakkapon Teeraratsakul, women's doubles players Benyapa and Nuntakarn Aimsaard, mixed doubles stars Dechapol Puavaranukroh and Sapsiree Taerattanachai and Supanida Katethong have all secured their place in the title matches of the World Tour Super 300 event.

Victories for all Thai players on Sunday will better their 2018 performance when they won three titles.

Peeratchai and Pakkapon, who came through the qualifying round, claimed their fourth upset victim this week as they defeated experienced pair Supak Jomkoh and Kittinupong Kedren 24-22, 21-13 in the men's doubles semi-final.

The world No.76 pair will be looking to win their first World Tour crown as they take on fifth seeds He Jiting and Ren Xiangyu of China in the deciding match.

He and Ren defeated Mohammad Shohibul Fikri and Bagas Maulana 21-15, 21-6.

Women's doubles second seeds Benyapa Aimsaard and Nuntakarn Aimsaard put on another impressive display to defeat fourth seeds Febriana Dwipuji Kusuma and Amallia Cahaya Pratiwi of Indonesia 21-13, 23-21.

The Aimsaard sisters, who are one win away from retaining their title, will play Li Yijing and Luo Xumin of China in the women's doubles final.

Li and Luo defeated eighth seeds Lee Yu-Lim and Shin Seung-Chan of South Korea 21-15, 21-18 on Saturday.

Mixed doubles top seeds Dechapol Puavaranukroh and Sapsiree Taerattanachai defeated Rehan Naufal Kusharjanto and Lisa Ayu Kusumawati of Indonesia 21-17, 21-14 to secure their place in the final. They will play either Hiroki Midorikawa and Natsu Saito of Japan or Chen Tang Jie and Toh Ee Wei of Malaysia in the final.

Dechapol will be hoping to finally win the tournament after finishing runner-up twice in 2018, with Puttita Supajirakul, and 2019, with his current playing partner Sapsiree.

Women's singles fourth seed Supanida eased past Ashmita Chaliha of India 21-13, 21-12 in the semi-finals.

However Japan's Aya Ohori denied a chance for an all-Thai final after she defeated fifth seed Busanan Ongbamrungphan 21-16, 21-12.

Supanida is looking to win her second World Tour crown after her breakthrough victory last year at the US Open.

In the men's singles semi-finals, fifth seed Chou Tien-chen of Taiwan defeated Mark Caljouw of Netherlands 21-15, 21-12 in the first semi-final.

Chou will face Singapore's second seed Loh Kean Yew, who defeated Su Li-yang of Taiwan 21-14, 21-14, for the title.

Title beckons: Benyapa Aimsaard, right, and Nuntakarn Aimsaard are having a fine tournament.

Do you like the content of this article?
COMMENT (1)