Dark horses survive cull of Thai shuttlers
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Unfancied Maneepong Jongjit and Savitree Amitapai remained the only Thai hopes in the US$400,000 Maybank Malaysia Open Super Series in Kuala Lumpur after they beat Poland's Robert Mateusiak and Nadiezda Zieba 13-21 21-16 24-22 yesterday.
The pairing were the surprise Thai team surviving in the tournament after their high-profile compatriots all crashed out on Wednesday.
In his second event following a three-month break after ankle surgery, Boonsak Ponsana was forced to retire against Japan’s Kenichi Tago while trailing 11-21 6-11.
Sudket Prapakamol and Saralee Thoungthongkam crashed out in the mixed doubles first round for the second consecutive week, losing to Alexandr Nikolaenko and Valeri Sorokina from Russia in two tight games 21-18, 21-19. Countrymen Songphon Anugritayawong and Kunchala Voravichitchaikul fell to South Korean pair Lee Yong-dae and Ha Jung-eun 19-21 21-19 21-15.
India Open finalist Ratchanok Inthanon and Porntip Buranaprasertsuk were both dumped out in their openers, Ratchanok losing 21-18 21-19 to China’s Li Xuerui, and Porntip suffering a 16-21, 25-23, 21-10 defeat to Tee Jing Yi from Malaysia.
In the women’s doubles, Kunchala and Duanganong Aroonkesorn compounded Thai misery with a 22-20 19-21 21-14 loss to Germany’s Sandra Marinello and Birgit Michels.
