All ended the day unbeaten, moreover all accounted for the most prominent name in their group; an event, as in the boys’ team competition, where there is only minimal margin for error. A total of 16 groups, four players in each group, only first position guarantees progress to join the 16 seeds in the main draw.

Pyong Song Gyong beat Darya Kisel of Belarus (11-1, 11-9, 9-11, 7-11, 11-7, 11-8); Kim Kum Yong and Kim Un Song both overcame German adversaries. Kim Kum Yong accounted for Laura Tiefenbrunner (11-8, 11-6, 11-3, 11-4); Kim Un Song prevailed in opposition to Anastasia Bondareva (11-8, 11-4, 11-2, 8-11, 11-3).

No need for a decisive deciding game, it was the same for Kyoka Idesawa, she proved too secure for Egypt’s Sara Elhakem (9-11, 11-5, 11-7, 11-4, 11-7).

Similar situation

Unbeaten and success against the highest rated in the group, in the opening stage of the girls’ singles event it was the same for Poland’s Aleksandra Michalak and Hong Kong’s Fung Wai Chu, as it was for Crystal Wang of the United States and Camille Lutz of France, the two young ladies who take pride of place.

They beat the respective top two names on first phase duty; Crystal Wang accounted for Chinese Taipei’s Cai Fong-En (11-7, 11-6, 11-8, 11-5), Camille Lutz overcame Russia’s Olga Vishniakova (11-9, 11-6, 11-8, 11-4). Imposing performances, it was the same from Aleksandra Michalak who beat Egypt’s Hend Fathy (11-9, 8-11, 11-8, 11-9, 11-4) and from Fung Wai Chu who likewise caused Chinese Taipei problems. She overcame Chien Tung-Chuan (11-7, 11-9, 11-5, 7-11, 12-10).

Defeat but door open

Problems for leading names, the future looks bleak; rather differently there was defeat for Isa Cok of France but her prospects are much brighter.

She suffered in her opening match against the Czech Republic’s Klara Hrabicova (9-11, 9-11, 11-6, 4-11, 12-10, 12-10, 14-12) but then recovered to beat Singapore’s Goi Rui Xuan (15-13, 7-11, 13-11, 11-8, 11-4). Earlier Goi Rui Xuan had overcome Sweden’s Jennie Edvisson (11-9, 11-1, 9-11, 4-11, 11-6, 12-10) prior to in her second match accounting for Klara Hrabicova (9-11, 11-3, 11-6, 8-11, 11-5, 5-11, 11-7).

Each player has one match remaining, to date each has won one match, each has lost one; the door is wide open but you may need a calculator to determine the final order!

Leading name beaten

Defeats for leading names on first phase duty, the same situation in the boys’ singles was less marked but as with the girls, the very top name, the highest listed on qualification duty, experienced defeat.

Germany’s Kay Stumper lost to Singapore’s Beh Kun Ting (13-15, 11-7, 11-8, 11-2, 7-11, 5-11, 11-9).
Notably Beh Kun Ting ended the day unbeaten and providing he turns up to play Chile’s Sebastian Gonzalez, hitherto without a win to his name, he is home and dry.

Somewhat differently that is not the situation for the two further prominent names who experienced defeat in the initial stage of the boys’ singles event.

Peruvians record notable wins

Peru put the cat amongst the pigeons. After losing to Poland’s Maciej Kubik (11-5, 11-7, 11-9, 11-5), Adolfo Cucho beat India’s Ryan Albuquerque, the top name in the group by the very narrowest of margins (11-8, 7-11, 10-12, 11-7, 11-7, 2-11, 13-11). It was the only defeat of the day for Ryan Albuquerque, for Maciej Kubik, he remained unbeaten; the two now meet in the concluding phase of group stage matches.

In a similar vein, Adolpho Cucho’s colleague, Felipe Duffoo upset the formbook. He beat the top name in his group, New Zealand’s Nathan Xu (7-11, 11-9, 13-11, 11-6, 12-10); alas for Felipe Duffoo in the immediately ensuing match, he lost to the Czech Republic’s Tomas Martinko (11-7, 13-11, 11-8, 11-8).

Tomas Martinko ended the day unbeaten; the significant fact being that he meets Nathan Xu in the concluding match in the group.

Mixed doubles

The door still open for Nathan Xu to fly the flag for New Zealand as it is in the mixed doubles event where, the previous day in partnership with Hong Kong’s Ng Wing Lam, they were very much the star pair.

Against the odds, they recorded a second round win against the no.4 seeds, the French pairing of Vincent Picard and Prithika Pavade (4-11, 11-7, 11-8, 11-4), before ousting Russia’s Maxim Grebnev and Anastasia Kolishm the no.18 seeds (12-10, 9-11, 11-7, 11-4) to reserve their place in the fourth round.

A shock defeat for the no.4 seeds, it was the same for the top seeds, in the third round Chinese Taipei’s Tai Ming-Wei and Yu Hsiu-Ting suffered at the hands of Korea Republic’s Park Gyeongtae and Choi Haeeun (13-11, 11-6, 11-8).

Journey’s end for two leading pairs, for two more, both from China, it was success. Xiang Peng and Kuai Man, the no.2 seeds, beat Chinese Taipei’s Huang Yu-Jen and Chien Tung-Chuan (11-8, 11-8, 11-4) to book their fourth round place. Likewise, at the same stage, Liu Yebo and Wu Yangchen, the no.3 seeds, accounted for the partnership comprising Belgium’s Olav Kosolsky and Marta Vukeklic (11-9, 8-11, 11-5, 14-12).

Busy day ahead

The fourth round and quarter-finals of the mixed doubles event will be staged on Friday 29th November. In addition the opening round of the boys’ doubles and girls’ doubles competitions will be held as well as the completion of the groups and the first round in each of the boys’ singles and girls’ singles events.

A busy day beckons in Korat.