Dechawat, Noppon and Kirtsanut keep Thai hopes alive
The trio of Dechawat Poomjaeng, Noppon Saengkham and Kritsanut Lerstsattayathorn kept Thai hopes alive for the elusive SangSom 6-red World Championship title as they marched into the last-16 round yesterday.
However, the day wasn’t without its share of disappointment as Ratchapol Pu-Ob-Orm, Thepchaiya Un-nooh and Boonyarit Kaettikun fell by the wayside at the last-32 stage.
As the first session got underway at the Montien Riverside Hotel, all eyes were on Thai snooker hero Ratchapol, better known to the fans as James Wattana, to deliver the goods.
Given his form in the tournament, scoring a victory over Stuart Bingham, the current world No 11, never seemed to be on the cards and despite a gutsy fight, Ratchapol had to bow out of contention following a 6-4 defeat.
Young Noppon, one of Thais playing professionally on the world circuit, was
the first local player to move into the last-16 stage following an impressive
6-3 victory over No 19 ranked Welsh Matthew Stevens.
Kritsanut quickly follow the suit and moved into the next round after pulling off a 6-4 upset triumph against world No 22 Ryan Day of Wales.
Dechawat had a tough time against Chinese world No 24 Liang Wenbo, clinching the last-32 round encounter 6-5.
Thepchaiya, who had been impressive throughout the tournament, was edged by Iranian qualifier Ehsan Hyderi Nezhad 6-5 after a marathon battle.
Teenager Boonyarit’s hopes of making it a dream debut were dashed by seasoned English professional Joe Perry, who recorded a convincing 6-2 triumph.
In the clash of English giants, Ricky Walden, a former winner of the tournament, registered a massive a 6-2 victory over world No 5 Barry Hawkins, who was the highest-ranked player in the championship.
The other two Thai players in the event, Thanawat Tirapongpaiboon and Ratchayothin Yotharuck, crashed out in the group stage, which ended on Wednesday.
The last-16 round matches were to be played later yesterday. The best-of-13 frame quarter-finals are scheduled for 11am today with the two semi-finals taking place at 5am and 8pm at the same venue.
