Ratchanok outlasts reigning champion Sung to enter final

The hard-fought 24-22 11-21 21-17 victory over the fourth seed and world No 5 in a gruelling 76-minute semi-final clash has given the Thai teen sensation another chance to take on China’s world No 4 Wang Yihan, one of the strongest rivals she has never beaten in previous seven matches.

Third seed Wang Yihan stunned compatriot and top seed Wang Shixian 21-19 21-12 in 46 minutes in another semi-final match yesterday.

Sung followed the path of her parents Sung Han-kook and Kim Yun-ja, who competed internationally in the 1980s, and has risen quickly in badminton rankings last year. Yesterday, she was vociferously supported by the home fans as she took on Ratchanok and seemed to be winning the first game. Ratchanok, the “smiling assassin”, maintained remarkable poise in adversity and slowly clawed her way to the winning line, hitting some extraordinary shots. Her well-disguised strokes near the net kept Sung guessing all the time. 

The second game saw Ratchanok tired and uncharacteristically throwing away points by misjudging line calls. Though Sung appeared to run away with the game, Ratchanok showed her immense talent with some brilliant shots. 

Ratchanok was like a marathon runner in the third game, regaining her verve and elan to canter away from her rival. She kept a five points distance throughout the game. Sung fought back late and came within three points of her Thai rival when she hit a shot long. The line judge initially ruled it in but on video appeal Ratchanok won the point and the match.

Ratchanok is yet to win a tournament since she captured the world title last September. On the other hand, Wang has been on a purple patch, winning several titles last year including the Hong Kong Open, Asian Championship, Denmark Open, Singapore Open and German Open.

The last time the two players met in the Denmark Open last year, Ratchanok went down in thrilling three games. Wang went on to stamp her invincibility and reigned supreme in the prestigious tournament.

Meanwhile, Thailand’s No 1 player and world No 6 Boonsak Ponsana lost to Chinese second seed Chen Long 21-15 21-9 in just 40 minutes. The Thai, who was runner-up in the Singapore Open, was in the contest for a while in the first game but soon ran out of gas for his fifth consecutive defeat against his opponent.