Thailand Open: Top-ranked Tai Tzu-ying sees off persistent Mia Blichfeldt to set up final clash against Carolina Marin

Bangkok: Top-ranked Tai Tzu-ying pushed through a challenging second set to clinch a 21-8, 23-21 victory against Denmark’s Mia Blichfeldt and move into the finals of badminton’s Thailand Open. The Taiwanese player made a strong start, but Blichfeldt’s strong defence caused her problems. “In the second game, the speed of the shuttle was different down that end and I had to adapt to that,” said Tai. She said she would need to bring her A-game on Sunday when she faces Spain’s Carolina Marin, a former world number one, in the final. Earlier in the day, the Spaniard trounced South Korean teenager An Se-young 21-16, 21-16. “I didn’t feel any negative situation for myself, and I think if I play like this, I’m so ready for tomorrow,” she said.

Highlights | There’s only one YONEX Thailand women’s finals spot available and they aren’t holding back to bag it 🏸 #HSBCbadminton #BWFWorldTour #YonexThailandOpen pic.twitter.com/uS0PlbB1qm

— BWF (@bwfmedia) January 16, 2021

The Thailand Open is the first of three consecutive tournaments in Bangkok culminating in the World Tour Finals from 27 January. Flown in a week before the start for quarantine and testing, the players are facing off in a bio-secure “bubble”, with no spectators allowed. The tournament has been overshadowed by the positive cases for Egyptian mixed doubles player Adham Hatem Elgamal, a German coach and a French staff member. Elgamal, who had to drop out on the first day and was moved to a hospital, took to Instagram on Saturday to raise doubts about his initial test results. He told AFP that since arriving in Thailand, subsequent tests had shown negative results. “They made a mistake, and I am paying for this mistake because I missed the tournament, and I am ok with this but I want to go back to Egypt,” Elgamal told AFP. “Why am I not allowed to go back if I am OK and I tested negative?” But doctor Piyaja Nagavajara explained that Elgamal had tested positive on the PCR test, which is the highest standard. A subsequent antibody test indicated a “recent infection” and a chest x-ray led a team of doctors to conclude that a “viral infection went to his lungs”. “I think the problem is a miscommunication or maybe we don’t have an effective translator,” Piyaja told AFP.