Thai shuttlers swoop on two titles in New Delhi
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Thailand stamped their class on the US$120,000 India Open Grand Prix Gold Badminton Championships after winning two titles in Delhi, including a maiden women's singles crown from teen sensation Ratchanok Inthanon.
In the all-Thai women’s showdown at the weekend, third seed and world No 14 Ratchanok was due to take on team-mate Porntip Buranaprasertsuk, but the second seed withdrew ahead of the match, leaving Ratchanok to pick up the $9,000 winner’s cheque.
In the semi-finals, Ratchanok had powered past Hong Kong’s Tsz Ka Chan 21-16 21-15, while Porntip struggled in overcoming Japan’s Eriko Hirase 22-20 21-15.
For the 16-year-old, the win was a fitting finale to her remarkable year. Last week, she was named Best Amateur Female Athlete at the national sports awards day.
The awards presentation, due to take place on December 15, was postponed because of the floods, but Ratchanok was due to pick up her trophy at the rescheduled party last night.
In November, the teen shuttler led the national women’s team in beating hosts Indonesia to clinch the 26th SEA Games badminton team gold. She also claimed a bronze medal in the singles competition.
Early this year, she became the youngest player ever to win the World Junior Badminton Championship three times in a row. Thailand claimed their second title at the weekend when top seeds and world No 6 Sudket Prapakamol and Saralee Thoungthongkam lived up to their billing in the mixed doubles to beat Indonesians Muhammad Rijal and Debby Susanto
with an impressive come-from-behind 16-21 21-18 21-11 win in 56 minutes.
The Thai duo, who beat another Indonesian pairing in Fran Kurniawan and Shandy Puspa Irawati 21-8 13-21 21-18 in the semi-finals, had been without a title this year after coming within a whisker of winning at the All-England Championships and the Dutch Open but settling for silver medals in both tournaments.
