Ratchanok storms past formidable Wang Yihan to secure final berth
Sensation Ratchanok Intanon made a step closer to winning her third major title of the year when the world No.4 and fourth seeded Thai overpowered formidable Wang Yihan from China in straight games 21-11 21-19 in the Saturday’s semi-finals of the Celcom A
Against world No.6 and sixth seed Wang Yihan, regarded as the invincible rival as she has never been beaten by the Thai ace in successive nine matches, Ratchanok came up with deceptive powerful smashes and smart drop shots which caused the Chinese challenger flat-footed for several times to take the comfortable first game 21-11.
Conceding one game, Wang tried to make a comeback effort. Proving that the convincing win over world No.1 and successive two-time world champion Carolina Marin from Spain was no fluke, Wang took an initial 4-0 lead. She continued her leading streak to stretch it to 19-15 before Ratchanok hit back mightily to score six points in a row. She caught up with Wang at 19-19 and surged ahead to win the come-from-behind set 21-19, the match and the final berth.
In the Sunday’s final, Ratchanok is due to go up against world No.9 Tai Tzu Ying from Taiwan, who on Saturday surprised third seeded Saina Nehwal from India in straight games 21-19 21-13.
In their 12 matches contested, Ratchanok beat Tai in seven matches and lost to the rival in five meets. Last week, Ratchanok powered past Tai 2-1 in the India Open. The Thai went on to reign supreme over the top-flight competition.
Ratchanok, the 2013 world champions and current Asian winner, has already captured two titles this year comprising the Thailand Masters on home soil and the last week’s India Open, where she stunned the London Olympic gold medalist Li Xuerui in the showdown.
