Dechapol/Sapsiree book semi-final, Ratchanok faces must-win match
Thai world No 1 mixed doubles pairing Dechapol Puavaranukroh and Sapsiree Taerattanachai crushed Malaysia’s finest to book their semi-finals berth at the 2022 Badminton World Tour finals in Bangkok on Thursday.
Dechapol and Sapsiree dispatched world No 8 Lai Pei Jing and Tan Kian Meng 21-9, 21-11 in just 29 minutes of second-round action at the US$1.5-million (52 million baht) tournament.
Thai No 1 Ratchanok Intanon lost to China’s He Bingjiao 21-17, 24-22 in Group B and must beat Taiwan’s Tai Tzu-ying today to advance to the semis.
This year’s edition of the season-ending event has been switched from Guangzhou, China to Bangkok’s Nimibutr Arena due to the Covid-19 situation.
Dechapol and Sapsiree beat fellow Thais Supissara Paewsampran and Supak Jomkoh 2-0 in their opening Group B clash on Wednesday.
The already-qualified world No 1s should face a tougher match today when they play China’s world No 4 pair Huang Dongping and Wang Yilyu in their final Group B match, which starts at 12.40pm.
The semi-finals and finals are scheduled for Saturday and Sunday, respectively.
