Kunlavut, Supanida carry Thai hopes in Indian Open semi-finals
SUNDAY, JANUARY 22, 2023
Thailand’s world No. 8 Kunlavut Vitidsarn booked his second straight semi-final appearance on the BWF World Tour after he stamped his authority over former world champion Lo Kean Yew of Singapore in the Yonex Sunrise India Open badminton on Friday.
Seven days after reaching the Malaysian Open last four, the in-form Thai No. 1 utilised his signature defensive game to upset the Singaporean third seed 21-12 21-17 in the quarter-finals. It was Kunlavut’s fourth straight win over the 2021 BWF world champion.
After a sluggish start that saw him trail Lo 7-11 at the first intermission, the 21-year-old Thai tightened his defensive strategy while his opponent made a string of unforced errors. Kunlavut reeled off 12 straight points to surge ahead at 19-11, allowing just one more point to his rival before landing the opener with ease.
World No. 7 Lo raised his game and pushed his Thai rival to the limit in the second game. But at 17-all, Kunlavut surged ahead, taking four successive points to close the deal. It was the first time that Kunlavut had beaten Lo in straight games. Last week, he prevailed over the Singaporean in three games in Malaysia.
In Saturday’s semi-finals, the Thai ace will face world No. 3 Anthony Sinisuka Ginting of Indonesia.
On the women’s side, Thailand’s world No. 30 Supanida Katehong got a walk-over into the semi-finals after Olympic gold medalist Chen Yufei of China pulled out due to illness.
Supanida will take on world No. 1 Akane Yamaguchi of Japan, the title winner in Malaysia last week. However, Pornpawee Chochuwong, the other Thai in the quarter-finals, was sent packing by second-seeded An Se Young of South Korea 21-14 21-14.
After eight minutes of intense action, the ONE Bantamweight Muay Thai World Champion scored a third-round knockout victory over #2-ranked contender Alaverdi “Babyface Killer” Ramazanov at ONE Friday Fights 1 on January 20.
Nong-O struggled in the opening frame at Lumpinee Boxing Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand, as the much lankier Russian hopped in and out of the Thai superstar’s range and pelted him with jabs and straight punches.
Ramazanov tried to punish the defending titleholder’s legs with low kicks as well, and all seemed to be working out for the Venum Training Camp Thailand product – especially after rocking Nong-O with a loopy punch at the end of the round.
When the second canto kicked off, Ramazanov upped the pace and sent more guard-splitting punches through his rival’s forearm defense. At that moment, the Thai knew he was in for a fight, as he was forced to battle from behind his gloves with split-second reactions.
However, it also appeared that “Babyface Killer” was beginning to feel the effects of his output. After his combinations, he would take a gulp of oxygen and, Nong-O – sensing the challenger was wilting – began to wear his menacing grimace.
In round three, Nong-O found his range and rhythm, and he unloaded punch after punch onto Ramazanov’s head and torso. As a matter of fact, the defending ONE World Champion beat the challenger from one corner of the ring to the next.
For a good two minutes, the Thai legend exhausted himself on “Babyface Killer.” Overhand rights, uppercuts, left hooks, straight punches to the torso – they came at his opponent from every angle and all at once. But it was a left shovel hook that brought an overwhelmed Ramazanov to his knees, and then to all fours.
The Russian couldn’t return to his feet, so referee Olivier Coste called a stop to the action at 2:14 of round three, awarding Nong-O the win and his seventh successful World Title defense. ONE Championship Chairman and CEO Chatri Sityodtong then gifted the bantamweight Muay Thai king a US$50,000 performance bonus.
Honda has been in collaboration with the Office of Vocational Education Commission to organize a 2022 safety driving competition in order to promote safe driving.
Shigeto Kimura, president of Thai Honda Co, said that through the Honda Safety Thailand initiative, we have dedicated more than 34 years to promoting safe driving. With the Office of the Vocational Education Commission’s support, more than 300 vocational schools will be included in the One Dealer One College program, leading to safe driving competitions for vocational students.
Somporn Pandam, Deputy Secretary-General of the Office of Vocational Education Commission, said that The aim of this collaboration is to promote safe driving as well as raise awareness in preventing road accidents, especially among students and teachers.
2022 Honda’s safety driving competition saw 184 vocational schools (or 631 students) countrywide joining the activity, with 80 students (including 40 male students as well as 40 female students) and 49 teachers from 49 vocational schools across the country being selected to compete in the 2022 national finals.
The final round, scheduled to take place during January 18 – 19 at Honda Safety Driving Center in Bangkok, is divided into three categories – 1. male students: Honda Wave 125 I, 2. female students: Honda Wave 110 I, and 3. Teacher: Honda Wave 125 I.
The result of the 2022 final round will be announced via the official website of the Office of Vocational Education Commission -: http://www.vec.go.th as well as facebook.com: HondaSafetyThailand and http://www.hondasafety.thaihonda.co.th.
Noppon stuns another snooker legend to enter World Grand Prix semis
FRIDAY, JANUARY 20, 2023
Thai snooker ace Noppon Saengkham stunned another big name at the 2023 World Grand Prix on Thursday night, beating three-time world champion Mark Williams 5-3.
The 30-year-old from Samut Prakan now enters the semi-finals in Cheltenham, England after three consecutive wins against former world champions.
Noppon, ranked 33 in the world, qualified for the last four by beating Welshman Williams 93-0, 70-0, 38-81, 34-90, 79-0, 41-70, 72-25, and 78-67.
Nicknamed “Mu Paknam”, Noppon beat four-time world champion Mark Selby in the first round and seven-time world champion Ronnie O’Sullivan in the second round.
The Thai ace faces another daunting match against world No 5 Mark Allen from Northern Ireland on Friday night for a place in the final.
Noppon has only won once in four previous encounters with the Northern Irishman, at the China Championship in 2019. The last time they met, three months ago at the British Open, Allen destroyed Noppon 6-1.
Two Thai tennis talents get wild cards as Thailand Open returns to Hua Hin
THURSDAY, JANUARY 19, 2023
Australian three-time Grand Slam quarter-finalist Ajla Tomljanovic is among high-ranked players competing in the WTA “Thailand Open 2023 by E@”.
The event will be held at True Arena Hua Hin Sport Club in Prachuap Khiri Khan province from January 31 to February 5.
It is the most lucrative WTA event in Southeast Asia, offering a total prize money of US$250,000 (9.37 million baht).
The event returns to the beach resort of Hua Hin for the first time since the pandemic outbreak. The first edition was held in 2019, won by Dayana Yastremska of Ukraine, while Magda Linettee of Poland won in 2020.
Lawn Tennis Association of Thailand honorary president Suwat Liptapanlop revealed that the top 50-100 players in the world have shown interest in competing in this year’s edition of the country’s largest tennis event.
“This year we have an impressive line-up, which includes world No. 35 Ajla Tomljanovic of Australia, who reached the quarter-finals at Wimbledon in 2021 and 2022, and at the US Open in 2022. In the 2019 Thailand Open, she was involved in a nail-biting final showdown with eventual champion Yastremska, who will also return this year. They will be joined by world No. 46 Magda Linettee of Poland, who will defend her crown [won in 2020] and world No. 71 Tatjana Maria of Germany, a Wimbledon semi-finalist in 2022,” said Suwat.
The press conference was attended by Sports Authority of Thailand deputy governor and director of Professional Sports Development and the Boxing Department Tanukiat Junchum, director of Energy Absolute PclWutthilerd Chiannilkulchai, and Proud Group executive director Proudputh Liptapanlop, as a representative of True Arena Hua Hin Sport Club.
Asia will be represented by world No. 49 Wang Xiyu of China, the former world junior No. 1 and junior US Open winner in 2018 and her compatriot Zhu Lin, ranked No. 85 in the world.
The tournament will grant wild cards to two local hopes — Luksika Kumkhum, who is currently No. 321, and Chompoothip Jundakate, the former world No. 540.
Suwat revealed that this year’s tournament would maintain its allure by offering a variety of off-court activities that would allow players to not only explore the beauty of Hua Hin but also learn about Thai culture.
“There is a diverse range of activities which include Thai boxing and Thai cooking. Players will learn how to create traditional man-made Khomapastr printing fabrics and acquire basic skills for painting shoes. Moreover, they will witness a rare vintage car collection, artworks by famous global and local artists and take part in football activity with a Korean team,” said Suwat.
He added that tennis enthusiasts in Thailand can enjoy Full HUD coverage of the event on TrueVisions.
Tanukiat said: “Thailand’s economy has benefited from the organisation of sporting events. Sports tourism helps to boost our nation’s reputation while also enhancing our athletes’ performance on the international stage.”
Wutthilerd said: “We consider it an honour to participate in this competition because we recognise the value of sports promotion and the need to advance Thai sports on the international scene. We want to provide Thai tennis fans the chance to see top-notch tennis and encourage young people to pursue professional sports careers.”
Proudputh said that True Arena Hua Hin Sport Club was “delighted that the WTA has chosen us as the host venue. Our facility features an Australian Open-standard court surface with a centre court that can accommodate up to 2,000 spectators. We are confident that, as a result of our previous experience hosting international events, we will be able to maintain the same international standard and leave an impression on the minds of fans and players throughout the tournament.”
For further information and tickets, contact True Arena Hua Hin telephone number 032-909-633 or visit www.truearenahuahin.com.
Cash prize for 2023 Thai LPGA Tour exceeds 17.4 million baht
WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 18, 2023
THE NATION
Thai Ladies Professional Golf Association (Thai LPGA) announced on Wednesday (January 18) that the 2023 season competition will include 10 matches, with total prize money of 17.4 million baht.
The association also addressed the official inclusion of the Thai LPGA Tour in the Women’s World Golf Rankings (WWGR) in 2023.
Present at the press conference were the President of the Thai LPGA Krisada Tanvilai, who presided over the event, the Director of the Sports Development Division Nattapon Antarasena, Executive Director of BG Container Glass Silparat Watthanakasetr, and the Director of Special Activities of Boon Rawd Trading Kittisak Chaimongkoltrakul.
Krisada said that Thai LPGA has achieved another milestone, which proves that the country’s golf competition, golf course, committee, and athletes reached an international level.
Nattapon pointed out that as the tournament was included in WWGR, SAT is ready to assist the association in raising its competition to higher level.
In an attempt to find this year’s qualified golfers in 2023 competition, the Q-school (Qualifying school) competitions were set to run from January 25 to January 27 at Watermill Golf and Gardens Golf Course. The players ranked below twentieth will win the right to be in eighth place. Golfers who position between twentieth to fiftieth will be entitled to ninth place, while those who finish higher than fiftieth will belong to the tenth place, with a cash prize totalling more than 200,000 baht.
This year’s tournaments will start with the BCG championship, with a prize worth 1.2 million baht at Watermill Golf and Gardens Golf Course during February 1-3, followed by several important competitions namely SINGHA Pattaya Ladies Open (March 29-31), LPGA Championship (August 9-11), and BGC Thailand LPGA Master (September 6-8).
LPGA tour competition is sponsored by numerous renowned organizations such as the Sports Authority of Thailand, National Sports Development Fund, BG Container Glass, Central Group, etc.
INEOS enters bidding process to buy Manchester United – The Times
WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 18, 2023
Reuters
Jim Ratcliffe’s company INEOS has entered the bidding process to buy Premier League soccer club Manchester United, The Times newspaper reported on Tuesday (January 17).
The Glazer family, United’s U.S. owners, said in November they had begun looking at options for the 20-times English champions, including new investment or a potential sale of the club.
“We have formally put ourselves into the process,” a spokesperson for INEOS told The Times.
United fans have been clamouring for a change of ownership and the Glazers have been the target of intense criticism as the team last won silverware back in 2017.
The club are currently fourth in the league standings on 38 points after 18 games, one point behind their local rivals Manchester City but nine adrift of leaders Arsenal.
Thai players rewarded with 35 million baht after being crowned Asean kings
TUESDAY, JANUARY 17, 2023
THE NATION
Thailand manager Nualphan Lamsam has handed the squad 20 million baht as a reward for successfully defending their Asean title with a 1-0 win over Vietnam on Monday night.
Thailand’s 3-2 win on aggregate was sweet revenge on their arch-rivals Vietnam, who beat them in the Asean Championship final 15 years ago.
Monday also saw the War Elephants cement their status as regional football kings with a record seventh title.
Nualphan said Thailand had to shoulder huge pressure as only seven players were left from the squad of 23 that won the 2020 title.
However, the team’s unity saw them crowned champions for the seventh time in 14 editions, she added.
“I want to thank every club that allowed their players to join the national team despite the competition not being on FIFA’s international match calendar. Every stakeholder must work together if we want to develop the country’s football team.”
She also praised Thai fans for their support after tickets for the final sold out fast.
The title-winning will receive a total reward of about 35 million baht – 20 million from Nualphan, 5 million from Somyot Poompanmoung, president of the Football Association of Thailand, and around 10 million from the Asean Football Federation.
“The players had already won 10 million baht after the group stage and semi-final (5 million baht each) as well as 10 million baht after defeating Vietnam in the final, totalling 20 million baht as reward for their dedication,” Nualphan said.
She added that the team’s next goal was to compete at the World Cup, just as the Thai national women’s football team has done.
Vietnam lost the 2022 AFF Cup Final after a 1-0 loss (2-3 on aggregate) against Thailand on Monday.
TUESDAY, JANUARY 17, 2023
Thailand’s winning goal, courtesy of Theerathon Bunmathan, was an inevitable outcome after enormous pressure from the Thai side.
Vietnam could not provide an excellent send-off for Park Hang-seo, who ended his five-year tenure after the match.
Park made five changes to his starting line-up after the first leg in My Dình, with Nguyen Thanh Binh, Bui Hoang Viet Anh, Phan Van Duc, Nguyen Tuan Anh and Vu Van Thanh replacing Bui Tien Dung, Do Duy Manh, Nguyen Quang Hai, Pham Tuan Hai and Ho Tan Tai.
Other than Tien Dung, who was injured in training, the remaining players were replaced due to a disappointing performance in the 2-2 draw in the first leg.
But the heavy rotation by Park could not hide the fact that Thailand’s advantages were far greater than Vietnam’s. With two away goals in Hanoi and 25,000 home fans screaming in Thammasat Stadium, the Thai side played comfortably, knowing a 0-0 or a 1-1 draw would be enough for the cup.
Albeit playing slow, Thailand kept possession and waited for their chance to attack. Vietnam had no dangerous chances during the first part of the half, instead making a lot of unforced errors in passing.
Theerathon Bunmathan, who many pundits saw as the difference between the two teams in the first leg where he provided two crucial assists, was again the centre of attention.
After some dangerous corners and free-kick attempts, Theerathon proved his class as one of Asia’s top players in the 24th minute. In a rare opportunity, he got near Vietnam’s six-yard box, Theerathon found acres of space and fired a powerful shot past Dang Van Lam and into the net, opening the scoring for Thailand.
Vietnam needed at least two goals to have a chance but could not find harmony in their attack. Replacements Tuan Anh and Viet Anh made stray passes and lost possession multiple times, putting the defence on high alert and cutting Vietnam’s counters short.
In the 36th minute, Park had seen enough of Tuan Anh’s dismal performance and replaced him with Nguyen Quang Hai. He then made two more changes during halftime, subbing off Viet Anh and Van Duc.
The first few minutes of the second half went the way of Vietnam, and the changes seemed to have worked. The Vietnamese got into Thailand’s box far more than they did in the first half and even shouted for a penalty twice, only to have their appeals waived away by the referee.
However, the pressure in Thammasat Stadium got to them again, as misplaced passes and lapses in concentration led to Thailand slowly reclaiming control. A desperate Park subbed Nguyen Van Toan on and even played Nguyen Thanh Chung as a centre-forward in the final minutes, but the Golden Star Warriors still could not a goal.
With a comfortable lead on aggregate, Thailand slowed down even further and protected the 1-0 win to claim the AFF Cup for the seventh time. FIFA President Gianni Infantino presented the trophy to Theerathon Bunmathan, who also won the Most Valuable Player of the Tournament award.
Vietnam’s Nguyen Tien Linh, with six goals to his name, shared the Top Scorer award with Thailand’s Teerasil Dangda.
During his five years as the national team coach, Park Hang-seo won one AFF Cup in 2018 and took Vietnam to the third qualifying round of the 2022 FIFA World Cup. He also took the U23s team to the final of the 2018 AFC U23 Championship and won two SEA Games medals in 2019 and 2022. Although his time in Vietnam ended sadly, the inspiration and success he brought to Vietnam’s football are tremendously appreciated.
Park’s replacement remains unknown at the moment, but his achievement will put a heavy burden on the next coach.
Thailand beat Vietnam 3-2 on aggregate to win their 7th AFF Championship title
MONDAY, JANUARY 16, 2023
THE NATION
Captain Theerathon Bunmathan scored the winner as Thailand beat Vietnam 1-0 on Monday, 3-2 on aggregate to win their 7th AFF Championship title in Pathum Thani on Monday.
Two away goals in the first leg on Friday (13th Jan) gave Thailand a slender advantage after a thrilling 2-2 draw in Hanoi.
Tournament’s all-time top scorer Teerasil Dangda remained on the bench for the second leg due to injury, but a clean sheet performance was enough for the hosts to win the AFF Championship title back to back.
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