Men’s badminton champ Kunlavut advances to quarter-finals

Kunlavut Vitidsarn, the 2023 men’s badminton world champion, is poised to take on the current world No 1 Shi Yuqi of China following his victory over Japan’s Kenta Nishimoto in the round of 16 knockout match at the Porte de La Chapelle Arena in Paris on Thursday.

Despite being troubled by poor air ventilation in the first game, the world No. 8 lost the opening game 16-21 and trailed by three points early in the second game. However, Kunlavut raised his level, cut down on unforced errors, and intensified his attack to bounce back and win the match 16-21, 21-14, 21-12.

 “I made way too many mistakes and played under pressure in the first game. But after that, I stopped worrying about the results and tried to play faster to wear him down,” Kunlavut said.

A herculean task awaits Kunlavut on Friday evening when he faces China’s Shi, who has collected four titles this season, including the French Open, where he defeated the Thai in straight games in March.

“I will enter the match as an underdog since he is a better player in every aspect, whether it’s technique, physical condition, or experience. In fact, I have already reached my goal by advancing to this stage of the competition. I will do my best,” Kunlavut told reporters.

Kunlavut and Ratchanok Inthanon are the only two Thais remaining in the badminton competition. The former world champion, Ratchanok, will play her women’s singles quarter-final match against Gregoria Mariska Tunjung of Indonesia on Saturday.

In the boxing, two Thai female fighters have advanced to the final eight. In the 50kg category, Chuthamat Raksat ousted Sabina Bobokulova of Uzbekistan, while in the 66kg division, Janjaem Suwannapheng rebounded after being knocked to the floor in round one to defeat Brigitte Mbabi of Congo 4-1.