Exhausted Thai ace Boonsak plans break, wedding after stepping in for King's birthday exhibition eve
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A weary Boonsak Ponsana is contemplating a three-month break from the circuit to recharge his batteries and prepare for his wedding in February.
The Thai No 1 stepped in for world No 1 Lee Chong Wei of Malaysia in yesterday’s exhibition match against two-time Olympic champion Lin Dan, but said he had lost steam playing a string of events back-to-back.
“After the Axiata Cup [in Jakarta], I need to take a long break as I have been playing nonstop for weeks. My physical condition is getting weaker and weaker,” complained the world No 13, who showed signs of exhaustion against China’s former world No 1 Lin, going down 15-21 10-21 in the Badminton Thai Glory to the King event at Hua Mark Stadium yesterday.
Boonsak was a last-minute replacement for Lee, who withdrew from the friendly to comply with orders from the Badminton World Federation, which banned him following his positive doping test in August.
“I really want to play at the All England Championships [in March], but I need to rest and work on my fitness. Besides, I will be busy with my wedding arrangements too,” said Boonsak who is set to tie the knot with sweetheart Taweeporn Meksikarin on Valentine’s Day.
However, the break will mean Boonsak skips three big events, which will see his ranking plummet to outside the top 30.
“I cannot defend points in the Super Series Finals, South Korean International and Malaysian Masters, where I had good results last year. My coach Songpol Kookasemkit said I should play in Malaysia to avoid dropping too low in the rankings but I really have no desire to play before All England,” added Boonsak, who flew in from Malaysia to make yesterday’s exhibition and will return to Jakarta this morning for the semi-final of the Axiata Cup.
Meanwhile Lee Chong Wei apologised to fans in a brief speech prior to the Boonsak-Lin match: “ I’m sorry that I cannot play today. I hope to come next time and play a good match for everybody.”
Despite his withdrawal, thousands of fans showed up for the special tournament organised to celebrate His Majesty the King’s 87th birthday.
“Around 5,000 tickets have been sold … The positive response from fans means we plan to hold this tournament again next year, when we will try to make Lee-Lin match happen,” said Badminton Granular Club manager Jane Piyatat, organiser of the event.
