Three shuttlers through to QFs
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Three Thai shuttlers stormed their way into the quarter-finals of the US$125,000 Swiss Open Grand Prix Gold, with teen sensation Ratchanok Intanon beating old foe and world No 4 Juliane Schenk of Germany.
Ratchanok, fresh from becoming the youngest player and first Thai to make it to the women’s final of the top-notch All-England Open, thrashed Taiwanese world No 21 and reigning US Open champion Pai Hsiao Ma 21-14 21-16 in second round on Thursday.
Ratchanok, world No 8 and fifth seed, was due to take on German Schenk, winner at last year’s Singapore Open, in the quarter-finals late yesterday. Thai hopes took a hit, though, when Busanan Ongbumrungpan, world No 18, went down to world No 7 and fourth seed Wang Shixian of China 21-16 21-18.
The women’s doubles saw the Thai duo of Duanganong Aroonkesorn and Kunchala Voravichitchaikul reach the quarter-finals with a 15-21 21-8 22-20 win against Germans Johanna Goliszewski and Birgit Michels. Duanganong/Kunchala were due to take on Malaysia’s Hoo Vivian Kha Mun and Woon Khe Wei last night.
