Ratchanok wants to taste victory again

Ratchanok Intanon will need to overcome China’s world No 2 Wang Yihan, whom she has not beaten before, to claim the title. Photo: Getty Images
Thai has not won any tournament since surprise world title win last August
By
Low Lin Fhoong
Published: April 8, 4:12 AM
SINGAPORE — One should not be fooled by Ratchanok Intanon’s soft-spoken demeanour and cute pink braces.
For beneath that 1.68m, 55-kg frame lies a young Thai fighter who is clearly punching above her weight in the international badminton circuit.
At the Badminton World Federation World Championships last August, the then-18-year-old stunned world No 1 and Olympic champion Li Xuerui of China 22-20, 18-21, 21-14 in the women’s singles final to become the youngest women’s champion.
Her historic title win — a first for any Thai shuttler — catapulted the teenager to fame back home, with victory celebrations that included a meeting with Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra at the Government House, a cash reward of 2 million baht (S$77,600) and numerous appearances on popular talk shows and magazines.
These days, Ratchanok cannot walk down a Bangkok street without getting stopped for photos, but the 19-year-old has also struggled to cope with the pressures of her new-found fame.
A three-time World Junior champion (2009-2011), she has been win-less in seven tournaments since her world championships triumph and was recently defeated 2-0 by Li in the All-England semi-finals last month.
“After winning the world championships, there was a lot of pressure. At the time when I won, I did not have much experience so
I didn’t know how to deal with the pressure,” said the world No 4, who is one of the players headlining this week’s OUE Singapore Open.
“(People) want me to be world No 1 ... a lot of players also wanted to beat me. I also had a lot of expectations of myself and I could not play my game.”
Born to sweet factory workers in north-east Thailand, Ratchanok was introduced to badminton at the age of six by the factory owner, who saw the workers’ children running around the vats of boiling water and sugar
. She went on to capture her first world junior title at the age of 14 — becoming the youngest junior champion — before claiming the hat-trick in 2011 and winning her first senior world championship last year.
The fiercely competitive player is keen to claim her first Super Series title of the season at the OUE Singapore Open, but will need to overcome
China’s twin threats of world No 2 Wang Yihan — whom she has not beaten in eight outings — and Li in the semi-finals and final at the Singapore Indoor Stadium. She will face Malaysia’s Tee Jing Yi in the first round tomorrow before a possible match-up against world No 8 Saina Nehwal of India in the top eight.
“I have not beaten Wang Yihan before ... experience plays a big part because, when the points are tight, her decision-making is better than mine,” said Ratchanok.
“Right now, I want to learn as much as I can and get more experience, and study my opponents’ styles. I have also learnt how to handle pressure and I want to play to my training standard.”
Team Singapore’s shuttlers will also be in action at the US$300,000 (S$378,000) tournament from today till Sunday, with newly-crowned Malaysia Grand Prix Gold champions
Danny Bawa Chrisnanta and Chayut Triyachart, and All-England mixed doubles quarter-finalists
Vanessa Neo and Danny leading the charge. Players told TODAY that the mood among the Singapore camp remains upbeat despite the
recent decisions by senior players Ashton Chen and Terry Yeo to quit the game.
Chen will retire after the Singapore Open, while Yeo has quit due to study and work commitments. Top women’s singles player
Gu Juan (No 25) — who qualified for the top eight of the All-England in 2011 — is also reconsidering her future in the sport,
citing injury and a lack of motivation.
The OUE Singapore Open will be the first major test for the Singaporeans after poor performances at last year’s Super Series tournament and SEA Games in December triggered a coaching revamp that saw chief singles coach Luan Ching replaced by Liu Qingdong.
Said Danny at yesterday’s press conference: “Of course we will feel affected when someone leaves the team, but we will support them in what they do. We feel more motivated now and everybody is training together and working together. I believe we (Chayut and I) can improve and do better as we believe in each other and want to get the best result.”
Visit
www.singaporebadmintonopen.sg for more information on the event.