Following the festival of Badminton which occurred in Jakarta, for many of the players there is not a moments rest, as it is straight to Bangkok, for the Thailand Open. And we hope to make more up-beat headlines this week for Thailand with some top-quality Badminton.
Beatriz Corrales in the Women’s Singles is one player to watch. The player from Madrid was a few nail-biting points away from the quarter-finals in last year’s World Championships. Having stepped up to the highest tournament level this year, she has battled hard to find her form. A final at the Mediterranean Games last month may help this cause. Her first-round opponent is Chochuwong of Thailand, if overcoming this tough hurdle, Corrales will have the opportunity to share the court with reigning World Champion, Japan’s Nozomi Okuhara.
A great opportunity
With many top ranked players absent in the Men’s Singles, the draw has really opened up for all players. One player benefiting from this is England’s Toby Penty, who has been promoted from qualification to fill the spot usually assigned to the second seed, which would have been Srikanth Kidambi. This now means that he will face a qualifier himself. And potentially an unseeded player in the second round. Penty, after frustrations with hamstring problems this season, has also some great results with a Slovenian Open win and a quarter-final at the Canada Open. This tournament will be a great opportunity to get back on track.
The seeds
Chris and Gabby Adcock, the European and Commonwealth champions, will be looking to really get going in Thailand prior to the World Championships in China. As number one seeds, the title in Bangkok looks very much attainable and their eyes will be firmly set on this goal.
Also, in the Mixed Doubles, the 4th seeds are English pair Marcus Ellis and Lauren Smith. Having won the Canada Open, and Ellis also collecting the Men’s Doubles title, they are flying high. They will be hoping they can ride this wave into the Thailand Open. If all goes to plan, they potentially can meet fellow English pair, Ben Lane and Jessica Pugh, who can be a thorn in their side, after defeating them in the US Open just last month.