World No. 1 Tai Tzu-ying on Tuesday vowed to “fight until the end” after she learned she would face Thailand’s Nitchaon Jindapol in her opening match of the Yonex Thailand Open this month.
A Badminton World Federation (BWF) draw earlier in the day showed that she would face world No. 22 Nitchaon in the first round of the women’s singles at the tournament, which runs from Jan. 12 to Jan. 17.
The Taiwanese shuttler has the edge over her Thai rival, as she has won eight out of the nine matches the two have played.
Photo: CNA
In an Instagram post, Tai wrote that she is a little anxious about the tournament, as it would be her first appearance on the BWF World Tour since she clinched the All England open title in March last year, before the international sporting body’s calendar was turned upside down by the COVID-19 pandemic.
“I am not sure if I am ready or not to leave our safe home in Taiwan to travel overseas for the tournament, as the world is still plagued by the pandemic,” she wrote.
“No matter what, I will fight until the end because I am Tai Tzu-ying and I will never quit,” she added.
Meanwhile, world No. 2 Chou Tien-chen is to face No. 39 Tanongsak Saensomboonsuk of Thailand, while No. 12 Wang Tzu-wei would play No. 37 Brice Leverdez of France in their respective opening matches in the men’s singles.
Chou and Wang are Taiwan’s top two male players.
Chou has a career 4-3 record against Tanongsak and has won their four most recent matches.
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