Thailand Open 2023: Carolina Marin storms into quarter-finals after another straight-set win
The Rio 2016 gold medallist defeated Ashmita Chaliha of India in the second round. The Spaniard will face Canadian Michelle Li in the quarter-finals.
Badminton
Olympic badminton champion Carolina Marin secured another comfortable win in the second round at the Thailand Open 2023 on Thursday (1 June).
The Rio 2016 gold medallist beat India's Ashmita Chaliha 21-18, 21-13 to advance to the quarter-finals.
Chaliha trailed throughout the first game. The 23-year-old managed to close the gap to at 13-15 before the three-time world champion stepped up her game and scored five points in a row.
In the second game, Marin took control early on and led 11-5 at the break. After 40 minutes of play, the European champion wrapped up the match, winning the second game 21-13.
The Spaniard will face world number 15, Michelle Li of Canada in the quarterfinals on Friday. Li defeated two-time Olympic medallist PV Sindhu in the first round and the sixth seed, Zhi Yi Wang of People’s Republic of China, in the second round.
Marin and Li have faced each other six times, with Marin winning four encounters.
In men’s singles, Malaysian Ng Tze Yong advanced to the quarter-finals after beating the first seed, Tien Chen Chou of Chinese Taipei. Toma Junior Popov of France and Kian George of India have also secured spots in the quarter-finals. The Thailand Open concludes on Sunday (4 June).