Ratchanok, Tanongsak bounce out in Denmark
Thailand's challenge in the Denmark Open came to an end on Saturday with world champion Ratchanok Intanon and Tanongsak Saensomboonsuk losing in the singles semi-finals.
Against world No 5 and fifth seeded Wang Yihan of China, a player she had never beaten in their previous six meetings, Ratchanok went down 21-23 21-19 21-18. Ratchanok, world No 2 and second seed, fought hard against the Asian winner in the first game. A determined Wang led 20-19, but failed to close out the hotly contested battle. Ratchanok came from behind to win the exciting opener 23-21. In the second game, Wang, who also captured this year's Singapore Open and German Open, led all the way. Ratchanok looked exhausted and Wang continued her aggressive attacks and smart drops to take the game 21-19. Wang maintained her domination in the decider. After taking a commanding 18-16 lead, Wang allowed her Thai counterpart only one more point to capture the game 21-18, the match and a final berth. The win stretches Wang's win-loss record against Ratchanok to an incredible 7-0. In the final today, the Chinese will take on Korean world No 6 Sung Ji-hyun, who outclassed China's Wang Shixian 21-19 21-14 in the other semi-final match.