Shuttlers off to flying start at qualifiers
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Thai shuttlers cleared the first hurdle in the Asian preliminaries of the Thomas and Uber Cup - the biennial world team competition for men and women - in Macau yesterday.
The Thai men’s team defeated Sri Lanka 5-0 in a Group C match while the women beat underdogs Kazakhstan by an identical margin.
The top 12 men’s and women’s teams will make the cut for the finals to be held in Wuhan, China, between May 20 and 27, with Asia awarded seven places.
In their Uber Cup preliminary Group Y match, rising star Ratchanok Inthanon got Thailand off to a convincing start with a 21-7 21-6 win over Veronika Sorokina, while world No 14 Porntip Buranaprasertsuk crushed Elizaveta Yakovleva 21-5 21-3, and Sapsiree Taerattanachai played superbly to outclass Ilyana Filipchuk 21-4 21-6. World No 21 duo Duanganoong Aroonkesorn and Kunchala Voravichitchaikul tamed Sorokina and Karina Suleyeva 21-7 21-10 while Saralee Thoungthongkam and Savitree Amitrapai capped Kazakhstan’s misery with a win over Yakovleva and Filipchuk 21-9 21-5.
Thailand next take on Sri Lanka, who lost 5-0 to Indonesia.
On the men’s side, world No 20 Boonsak Ponsana powered past No 63 Niluka Karunaratne 21-18 8-21 22-20. Tanongsak Saensomboonsuk crushed Kindelpitiyaoe Lasitha Menaka Karunathilaka 21-7 21-15 and Suppanyu Avihingsanon outclassed Raiitha Sandeepana Dhanayaka 21-9 21-14.
In the doubles encounters, Thailand’s Sudket Prapakamol/ Songphon Anugritayawon beat Lasitha Menaka Karunathilaka/ Sankalpa Gunawarde 21-11 21-17 and Bodin Issara/Maneepong Jongjit pounded Railtha Sandeepana Dhana-yaka/Hasitha Chanaka 21-6 21-16.
Today at 1.30pm, the Thai men’s side go up against Kazakhstan, who were battered 5-0 by Japan yesterday.
