Singapore’s No. 2 men’s singles Cheng Kaheng stopped in the second round of the Thailand Badminton Masters (Super 300) on Thursday (January 29). He lost 0 to 2 to the host player Pani Chapong.
This is the second time in the career of the world’s 23rd Zheng Jiaheng and the world’s 36th Pani Chapom that they have met in the BWF World Tour. The last time the two faced off was in the Malaysian Super 100 in 2024, when our country won 2-1.
In this battle again, Zheng Jiaheng could not find a way to break through in the first game. After the two battled to 6-6, his opponent opened up the score with a wave of scoring and won the first victory 21-11.
In the second game, Zheng Jiaheng was still in a chasing situation. Although he tied the score in the final stage, his opponent played better and finally won 21-18. The entire game lasted 42 minutes.
Pani Chapong’s quarterfinal opponent is Pradiska Bagas from Indonesia.
Further reading
Singapore Badminton Team’s Double Happiness in Thailand Masters: Men’s Singles and Mixed Doubles Enter the Second Circle
Thailand Badminton Masters begins, Chinese men’s doubles Kubo Junsuke and Gao Yongjie advance to the second round
Zheng Jiaheng said in an interview with “Lianhe Zaobao”: “When I was leading in the second game, I could have played more patiently. Looking back now, I should have played at my own pace instead of being led by my opponent’s faster pace.
“My physical condition is not very good at the moment. I had a fever during the India Open two weeks ago. But no matter what, I still have to focus on the Asian Badminton Team Championships.”
In other men’s singles events, Malaysian player Lee Zii Jia performed well. He fought back after falling behind and finally defeated India’s Mithun Manjunath 11-21, 21-16, 21-12. He advanced to the quarterfinals and will next compete with the second seed, Indonesian player Alvi Farhan, for qualification to the semifinals.
The elimination of the previous champion Zheng Jiaheng means that a new champion will be born in this year’s Thailand Masters. Past champions Zhou Tiancheng (2024), Lin Junyi (2023) and Luo Jianyou (2019) did not appear this year.
There were also two Chinese doubles matches on Thursday, both of which ended in defeat.
Men’s doubles pair Kubo Junsuke/Ko Yongjie lost to the fifth seed, Indonesian pair Rian/Ramat 13-21, 6-21.
Xu Yongkai, who formed a multinational mixed doubles team with Indonesian player Gloria, challenged the sixth seed, Indonesian team Adnan/Jamil, and lost 17-21, 19-21 after 36 minutes of fierce battle.
