Changzhou: Ratchanok Intanon, affectionately known as "May," has advanced to the quarterfinals of the 2026 China Open badminton tournament, setting up a thrilling clash with Chen Yufei, the world number 4 from China. According to Thai News Agency, this advancement follows Intanon's victory over world number 21 Nguyen Thuy Linh of Vietnam, where she secured a win with scores of 17-21, 21-16, and 21-15 in the second round of the women's singles, a key fixture in the World Tour Super 1000 event held in Changzhou, China.
In other tournament developments, Dechapol Puavaranukroh and Supisara Piewsampran, known as "Bas," have also advanced after a challenging match against Yuta Watanabe and Maya Taguchi from Japan. The mixed doubles pair, ranked 4th globally, triumphed with scores of 21-11, 19-21, and 21-19, securing their place in the semi-finals where they will compete against fifth-seeds GUO Xin Wa and CHEN Fang Hui from China.
In the women's doubles, the Iamsaad sisters, Nanthakarn and Benyapha, ranked 85th worldwide, pulled off a stunning victory against South Korea's sixth-ranked Kim Hyejeong and Gong Heeyoung. Their straight-game win, 21-19 and 21-9, sets them up for a challenging encounter against Liu Chengxu and Dan Ning, the world number 1 pair from China.
However, not all Thai players had successful outings. Busanan Ongbamrungphan, nicknamed "Cream," ranked 20th in the world, was ousted from the tournament after a 0-2 loss to Indonesia's Puti Kusuma Wadani. In men's singles, Panichol Teeraratkul, despite a promising start against world number 1 Shi Yuqi, had to retire due to chest pain, allowing Shi Yuqi to proceed to the next round.