KOREA OPEN 2011 R16 – Porntip offs 7th seed

Thailand’s Porntip Buranaprasertsuk starts 2011 off with the biggest win to date in her still very short badminton career at the 2011 Victor Korea Open Premier Super Series.

By Don Hearn, Badzine Correspondent live in Seoul.  Photos: Yves Lacroix for Badmintonphoto

Just after Porntip Buranaprasertsuk (pictured) turned 19 in late October, she reached her first Super Series semi-final to the eventual winner Wang Yihan.  Even with this result, she has found herself in the shadow of an even younger compatriot.  In fact, when Ratchanok Intanon announced her candidacy for future women’s singles stardom, it was by winning the World Junior title at 14 with a victory over Porntip in the final.

Porntip’s time may finally be at hand, though.  The talented youngster is already at her highest ever ranking of 23^rd in the world.  Now, after beating Cheng Shao Chieh in the first round, she has scored her first ever victory over a top 10 player, keeping her composure against Germany’s Juliane Schenk to win in three.

Porntip had a late surge past the skilled German in the first game but it was Schenk who took control of the second half of the second.  However, Porntip refused to let go easily and on Schenk’s second game point opportunity at 21-20, she was caught squatting at the front and could only somersault backwards (pictured below) when Porntip punched the shuttle over her.

Porntip started attacking more after the end-change in the third game as Schenk started to struggle, misjudging the lines and finding herself unable to get control of the rallies and the youngster finished it off 21-16, 22-24, 21-15.

“It was a strategy to attack more in the third game because it was the best way to make use of the lead, and the opportunities were there,” said Porntip afterward.

“This is my biggest win so far, though I thought I had a chance at an even better one when I won my first game against Pi Hongyan in Hong Kong,” said the Thai, who also pushed Wang Yihan to 3 games in France.

“It was very difficult for Porntip to improve last year because she had to study a full program this year,” said her coach Udom Luangphetcharaporn of his charge, who just finished her first year at Thailand’s prestigious Chulalongkorn University.

“She was always very tired after a full day of classes and found it difficult to train.  We plan to have her drop some subjects and take them later or possibly do a summer course so she can concentrate more on badminton.

“The target for this year is to get her ranking up to qualify for the Olympics because that will be difficult with Ratchanok and Salakjit both in the running, too.”

In hindsight, both Porntip and Schenk were both vying to be the last representatives for their countries in the quarter-finals here at the Korea Open.  Schenk’s compatriots Michels/Marinello, who also had beaten local players in yesterday’s first round, lost shortly afterward to women’s doubles second seeds Maeda/Suetsuna of Japan.  Germany has only an outside chance of a quarter-finalist remaining as Marc Zwiebler is up against the great Lin Dan later in the afternoon.

Thailand, meanwhile, lost its only other competitors when Chinese Taipei’s Chen Hung Ling / Cheng Wen Hsing (pictured) beat their second Thai opponents in this week’s mixed doubles competition, following up their easy win over Songphon Anugritayawon / Kunchala Voravichitchaikul with a hard-fought 21-19, 22-24, 21-14 victory over second-seeded Sudket Prapakamol / Saralee Thoungthongkam.

For complete second round results from the 2011 Victor Korea Open Premier Super Series, CLICK HERE

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