KOREA GP 2010 – Troublesome Thai Teens

Thailand’s new generation of badminton stars are up to their usual tricks, this time at the Korea Grand Prix event in Gimcheon, where two-time World Junior Champion Ratchanok Intanon and Youth Olympic gold medallist Sapsiree Taerattanachai eliminated Korean veterans Hwang Hye Youn and Bae Seung Hee respectively in the very first round.

15-year-old Ratchanok Intanon has ample experience playing opponents 10 years her senior, as last week in the Asian Games team final.  This time, she succeeded in getting the better of her more experienced 25-year-old opponent and, in straight games, denied Hwang Hye Youn an opportunity at a comeback tournament victory.

Perhaps more surprising would be Sapsiree’s victory over Bae Seung Hee if not for Bae’s losses to two other Thai youngsters earlier this year.  Nor were the Thais the only young ones who had success or near success on Wednesday.  China’s Zhou Hui knocked off second seed Ella Diehl of Russia while China’s Liu Xin had a very close encounter with sixteen-year-old Kim Ye Ji of Korea and only scraped by with a 21-10, 13-21, 23-21 victory.

The men’s event saw some youthful energy, too.  Youth Olympics gold medallist Pisit Poodchalat may have gotten past Park Sung Hwan simply by walkover but Suppanyu Avihingsanon, the hero of Thailand’s Asian Games men’s team effort, beat veteran Park Tae Sang in three. The last Park, Wan Ho, lost to Thailand’s Pakkawat Vilailak, though there was no age gap between these two twenty-two-year-olds.

China is down to two shuttlers in men’s singles as Tian Houwei came up just short of knocking off the last remaining seeded Korean, Shon Wan Ho while Choi Ho Jin took care of Qiao Bin.  Wang Zhengming beat his compatriot Chen Yuekun and remains on a possible collision course with Bao Chunlai.

Not all veterans succombed to young challengers, though.  In fact, in the match with the largest age difference between opponents it was the veteran who came out on top as 32-year-old Kwon Hee Sook dispatched Rawinda Prajongjai in two straight.

Doubles had fewer surprises but still saw the departure of Shin Baek Cheol in both men’s and mixed doubles.  The only seeds to fall so far were Vislova/Durkin in mixed.  They lost to nineteen-year-olds Choi Young Woo / Eom Hye Won.

For complete results, CLICK HERE