Defending champion An Se Young fought off a stiff challenge from Ratchanok Intanon on Day 2 of the YONEX-SUNRISE India Open 2024, securing a 16-21 21-13 21-16 win over her experienced rival from Thailand.

Intanon, the former world champion and a winner in New Delhi on three previous occasions, impressed with some of her best badminton in months following a severe ankle injury, only for the world No.1 Korean to edge the big points to progress.

“I took some time to adapt to the court, and then to adjust to the game of my opponent,” An said. “Once I settled down, I started to play better.

“I rely more on control than speed, which is why it took some time to adjust to the pace of the game at the start.”

Intanon is aware age may not be on her side, but her aim of appearing at a fourth Olympic Games in Paris for possibly a medal for Thailand remains her goal for the year.

“Sometimes you know you have a good chance but it can also be dangerous because you try to strike the shuttle early or rush the game,” Intanon said. “She’s playing at a step higher than me, so it’s also important I try to learn. It’s my dream to win an Olympic medal, so of course I want to make it.”

→ Results (Day 2)

→ Order of Play (Day 3)

Anthony Sinisuka Ginting had to dig deep to grind out a tense 16-21 23-21 21-17 win over Kanta Tsuneyama.

“It was a really tough game from the beginning right until the end,” Ginting said, after spending 84 minutes on the court. “He controlled it almost all the way, and nearly won in two games.

“I just want to say thanks to him because he had a good game. I respect him as my opponent. It was an exciting match for both of us.”

WHAT OTHERS SAID:

“I can’t get rid of that (comparisons with Lee Chong Wei). Only if I changed my country, but that’s impossible. So, it’s something I have to face for my entire career. If I fail, then I will have failed. So it’s either success or failure. I have to face this pressure.” – Lee Zii Jia after winning 21-17 21-19 against Canada’s Brian Yang

“It all started at the Malaysia Open. We were down throughout every match and here again in the second 20-14, but still we won. That’s something we have to work on. Every time we win the first game, in the second, we lose five to six points in a row. We need to break that rhythm from the next match. We need to talk with our coach about what’s happening at that time.” – Chirag Shetty after he and Satwiksairaj Rankireddy beat Fang-Chi Lee and Fang-Jen Lee 21-15 19-21 21-16