Top seeds tumble at BWF Korea Masters
It was a day of shocks at the Badminton World Federation Korea Masters, as a number of seeds were sent…
It was a day of shocks at the Badminton World Federation Korea Masters, as a number of seeds were sent tumbling out of the round-of-16 at Gwangju Women’s University Stadium.
The biggest surprise was in the women’s draw, as the tournament second seed, China’s He Bingjiao, lost a titanic battle to Kim Ga Eun of South Korea, 13-21, 21-12, 19-21.Japan’s Akane Yamaguchi was pushed all the way by Scotland’s Kirsty Gilmour, losing the first game, but eventually coming through 19-21, 21-13, 21-12. Fifth seed Sung Ji Hyun also had a battle with Busanan Ongbamrungphan of Thailand, winning 21-15, 15-21, 21-12.The hopes of Srikanth Kidambi were dashed in Korea ©India_AllSportsBut the men’s competition has been blown wide open with a number of high-profile casualties. The Super 300 tournament has already been hit by the withdrawals of the top four seeds, and now sixth seed Srikanth Kidambi has exited early. He was thoroughly outplayed by Katna Tsuneyama of Japan, 21-14, 21-19. Later in the day, the highest male seed left in the competition, Hong Kong’s Angus Ng Ka Long, was also given a badminton lesson. The fifth seed couldn’t even win a game against Tanongsak Saensomboonsuk of Thailand, losing 21-12, 21-19.Defeat for Japan’’s Kenta Nishimoto against Zhao Jun Peng means there are no seeds left in the men’s competition.
