Shuttlers head to Switzerland as race for Olympic qualification hots up
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After disappointing at the All-England Open Badminton Championships last week, Thai players are determined to make their mark on the $125,000 Swiss Open Grand Prix Gold, starting today at the St Jakobshalle Gymnasium in Basel.
With time running out for Olympic qualification, the Swiss Open presents one of three remaining opportunities for players to gather enough ranking points for a ticket to London 2012. The final Olympic qualifying tournament is the India Open Super Series, ending on April 29.
The top 38 singles players and the top 16 in doubles as of May 3’s world rankings will get Olympic berths.
In action for Thailand today are Sapsiree Taerattanachai and Salakjit Ponsana in the women’s singles qualifying round. Sapsiree will also partner Savitree Amitrapai in the women’s doubles qualification.
In the first round, 16th seed and world No 22 Boonsak Ponsana, is drawn against world No 28 Dionysius Hayom Rumbaka of Indonesia. The Thai star will be seeking revenge – his only other meeting with the 2011 Indonesia Open winner led to defeat at the 2009 Hong Kong Open Super Series.
Boonsak, though, has suffered a sudden slump in form following a nagging right ankle injury. He lost in the second round in the German Open GP Gold a fortnight ago before suffering a first-round exit in the All-England Championships.
Rising star Tanongsak Saensomboonsuk, who has twice “scalped” Athens Olympic champ Taufik Hidayat of Indonesia, is due to take on 11th seed Jan O Jongensen of Denmark, while team-mate Sappanyu will meet Ugandan Edwin Ekiring. In the women’s singles, world No 10 and eighth seed Ratchanok Inthanon will take on Hong Kong’s Yip Pui Yin, with the Thai seeking to avenge losses in their last two meetings, at the German Open GP Gold and the All-England. Yip leads the Thai teenage phenomenon 3-2 in head-to-head meetings. World No 14 Porntip Buranaprasertsuk will play a qualifier.
Thais Bodin Issara and Maneepong Jongjit will take on Taiwan’s Chen Hung Ling and Lin Yu Lang in the men’s doubles while Songphon Anugritayawon and Sudket Prapakamol face eighth seeds Hiroyuki Endo and Kenichi Hayakawa of Japan. The Thai women’s pair of Duanganong Aroonkesorn and Kunchala Voravichitchaikul face a daunting task against Japanese fourth seeds Miyuki Maeda and Satoko Soetsuna.
Three Thai pairs will be in action in the mixed doubles, with third seeds and world No 8 Sudket/Saralee Thoungthongkam taking on Hendra Setiawan and Vita Marissa of Indonesia and sixth seeds Songphon and Kunchala playing against qualifiers. Maneepong and Savitree are in action against Danes Rasmus Bonde/Maria Helsbol.
