Shuttlers shine as Kunlavut, mixed doubles pair advance in Korea

Kunlavut Vitidsarn advanced to the quarter-finals of the US$420,000 BWF Korea Masters 2024 in Iksan City yesterday.

The Thai top seed defeated compatriot Panitchaphon Teeraratsakul 21-5, 21-10 to reach the last eight of the World Tour Super 300 event.

World champion Kunlavut, who is chasing his first title of the year, will take on China's Liu Liang in the last eight today.

The Chinese defeated Taiwan's Huang Ping-hsein 21-14, 21-14 yesterday.

Kunlavut had runner-up finishes at the French Open and the Paris 2024 Olympic Games this year and his last title came at the World Championships in August 2023.

Another men's singles hope, eighth seed Kantaphon Wangcharoen, bowed out after he lost to Wang Zhengxing of China 20-22, 8-21.

Pitchamon Opatniputh also exited from the tournament after falling to women's top seed Tomoka Miyazaki of Japan in a battling three-game match, 21-18, 16-21, 10-21.

Miyazaki will meet Lin Hsiang-ti of Taiwan in the quarter-finals.

The fifth-seeded mixed doubles pair, Ruttanapak Oupthong and Jhenicha Sudjaipraparat, also advanced with a 21-13, 21-14 win over Lee Sang-Won and Kim Bo-Ryeong of South Korea.

They will have a tough assignment in the quarter-finals as they face fifth seeds Dejan Ferdinansyah and Gloria Emanuelle Widjaja of Indonesia.

In other early results yesterday, Kim Min-Sun of South Korea knocked out Clara Lassaux of Belgium 21-16, 21-14 and Lee So-Yul of South Korea defeated Liang Ting-yu of Taiwan 21-17, 24-22 in the women's singles event.