Thai Para: ‘I Got Tired of Losing’

Ruthick Ragupathi turned the tables on Meril Loquette of France at the Thailand Para Badminton International 2023, winning his SU5 men’s singles group match 27-25 21-18 to book his quarterfinal place.

It was the Indian’s first win in four singles meetings with Loquette.

“I just got tired of losing so I watched videos of him against others,” said Ragupathi.

“I analysed his game and how his opponents beat him. He plays good rallies patiently so I pushed him to play faster to break his rhythm and it worked.”

Ragupathi, who trains with able-bodied players, added: “I prefer doubles because I can share the court and workload.”

He takes on Japan’s Taiyo Imai tomorrow, then partners countryman Hardik Makkar against China’s Mingpan Li/Shi Shengzhuo in the men’s doubles semifinals.

Japan’s Matsumoto Takumi advanced to the WH2 men’s singles quarterfinals by taking out Mai Jianpeng of China, 14-21 21-12 21-11. He then fell 24-22 21-8 to Korea’s Sooyoung Yu the same evening.

Before his match against Yu, Matsumoto partnered Keita Nishimura in WH1-WH2 men’s doubles to defeat Marc Elmer (Switzerland) and Yuri Ferrigno (Italy) 21-12 21-8.

“I was tired. I’ve never beaten Yu, perhaps the pressure and the fatigue got the better of me,” he conceded.

“Daiki (Kajiwara) will remain the top WH2 player for a while, so for now I’ll work on making No.2 and qualifying for the next Paralympics.”

Matsumoto satisfied being second fiddle for now.

Ilaria Renggli of Switzerland suffered the same fate, winning 21-19 21-17 against Thailand’s Amnouy Wetwithan to make the WH2 women’s singles quarterfinals, only to succumb to Peru’s Pilar Jaurequi Cancino 16-21 21-18 13-21.

“It was a difficult group with Emine (Seckin) and Li Hongyan. Defeating Amnouy for the first time felt good. Facing Pilar, I didn’t give in easily but it was just too hard,” admitted Renggli, who is still in the WH1-WH2 mixed doubles semifinals with Isreali Konstantin Afinogenov.

“Firstly, it’s a different feeling not playing women’s doubles because Cynthia (Mathez) isn’t here. Another new feeling is playing mixed doubles with Konstantin. Without time to really practice, sometimes it’s difficult deciding who takes which shot, especially down the middle,” said Renggli.

Many firsts for Renggli.

India’s Palak Kohli, re-classified from SU5 to SL4, has found a new partner in Naveen Sivakumar.

In SL3-SU5 mixed doubles, Kohli and Sivakumar defeated Japan’s Daisuke Fujihara/Akiko Sugino 21-15 21-15 to set up a quarterfinal against teammates Raj Kumar/Parul Dalsukhbhai Parmar.

“This is our first tournament together so we played a safe game, didn’t make mistakes but we kept up the pace,” said Sivakumar.

Kohli added: “We never had the chance to train together. We don’t even have the same T-shirts.”

New partners Sivakumar and Kohli.

Results (Day 4)

Order of Play (Day 5)

Olympic and Paralympic News

‘There’s Much More in Our Tank’

‘There’s Much More in Our Tank’

1 March 2024
Tai Tzu Ying, The Second Coming

Tai Tzu Ying, The Second Coming

29 February 2024
Take Two, with New Mates

Take Two, with New Mates

15 February 2024
Badminton Venue for Olympics and Paralympics Inaugurated

Badminton Venue for Olympics and Paralympics Inaugurated

13 February 2024
Kang & Seo: Showcasing Winning Ability

Kang & Seo: Showcasing Winning Ability

12 February 2024
Paris Dreaming

Paris Dreaming

8 February 2024
Sprint Begins

Sprint Begins

7 February 2024
Malaysia Open: ‘Anything is Possible’

Malaysia Open: ‘Anything is Possible’

10 January 2024
In the League of Greats

In the League of Greats

7 January 2024
Malaysian Duo Look to Build on Gains from Last Season

Malaysian Duo Look to Build on Gains from Last Season

6 January 2024
Game for Friendly Fight

Game for Friendly Fight

5 January 2024
Gilmour: Grit and Grace on the Road to Paris 2024

Gilmour: Grit and Grace on the Road to Paris 2024

4 January 2024
Season Preview: Towards Paris 2024

Season Preview: Towards Paris 2024

2 January 2024
Dubai Para: ‘My Shots Were Perfect’

Dubai Para: ‘My Shots Were Perfect’

13 December 2023
Dubai Para: Monteiro Focused on Meticulous Planning

Dubai Para: Monteiro Focused on Meticulous Planning

12 December 2023
BWF Presents Super Smash Squad: Unleashing Badminton Heroes

BWF Presents Super Smash Squad: Unleashing Badminton Heroes

25 October 2023
Naraoka, An Se Young Lead Race to Paris

Naraoka, An Se Young Lead Race to Paris

4 August 2023
Paris 2024: With a Year to Go, Festive Spirit Pervades

Paris 2024: With a Year to Go, Festive Spirit Pervades

26 July 2023
Badminton Lets Pu Gui Yu Enjoy the World

Badminton Lets Pu Gui Yu Enjoy the World

20 July 2023
Two Olympic Champs Aiding Weng’s Growth

Two Olympic Champs Aiding Weng’s Growth

28 June 2023
Canada Para: Bethell Extends Dominance Over Bhagat

Canada Para: Bethell Extends Dominance Over Bhagat

19 June 2023
Thai Para: Daily Discussions Lead to Gold

Thai Para: Daily Discussions Lead to Gold

15 May 2023
Thai Para: Indonesia, Malaysia Halt China’s Domination

Thai Para: Indonesia, Malaysia Halt China’s Domination

14 May 2023
Thai Para: Overcoming the Racket

Thai Para: Overcoming the Racket

13 May 2023
Thai Para: It’s Looking Up for Krajewski

Thai Para: It’s Looking Up for Krajewski

11 May 2023
The Bell Sounds for Paris 2024

The Bell Sounds for Paris 2024

1 May 2023
French Open 2024 to be Played at Paris 2024 Venue; Rescheduled to March

French Open 2024 to be Played at Paris 2024 Venue; Rescheduled to...

27 April 2023
Registration Deadline for Single Tickets Approaches

Registration Deadline for Single Tickets Approaches

15 April 2023
Spanish Para: Bethell Brings it Home for the Team

Spanish Para: Bethell Brings it Home for the Team

27 February 2023
Spanish Para: Double Winner Kajiwara Keeping it Fun

Spanish Para: Double Winner Kajiwara Keeping it Fun

27 February 2023
Spanish Para: Sooyoung So Good

Spanish Para: Sooyoung So Good

26 February 2023
Spanish Para: My Time to Shine, Enthuses Ikhtiar

Spanish Para: My Time to Shine, Enthuses Ikhtiar

26 February 2023
Spanish Para: ‘Anyone’s Playing Field’

Spanish Para: ‘Anyone’s Playing Field’

25 February 2023
Spanish Para: It’s All Smiles for Loquette

Spanish Para: It’s All Smiles for Loquette

24 February 2023
Spanish Para: Jones-Barnes Spreading the Joy of Badminton

Spanish Para: Jones-Barnes Spreading the Joy of Badminton

23 February 2023
Spanish Para: Patience Key for Self Motivator Bunsun

Spanish Para: Patience Key for Self Motivator Bunsun

23 February 2023
Spanish Para: ‘This One’s For You, Bello’

Spanish Para: ‘This One’s For You, Bello’

22 February 2023
Spanish Para: New Season Brings New Faces

Spanish Para: New Season Brings New Faces

21 February 2023
Para Shuttlers’ Road to Paris Begins in Spain

Para Shuttlers’ Road to Paris Begins in Spain

18 February 2023
Wandschneider/Hellman Chasing Fresh Records

Wandschneider/Hellman Chasing Fresh Records

4 January 2023
‘Extraordinary Year’ for Dual Paralympian Mathez

‘Extraordinary Year’ for Dual Paralympian Mathez

23 December 2022
Ticketing Opens for Paris 2024

Ticketing Opens for Paris 2024

13 December 2022
Para Badminton Events for 2023 Confirmed, Paris 2024 Journey Begins

Para Badminton Events for 2023 Confirmed, Paris 2024 Journey Begins

26 November 2022
‘France in Good Position to be Top Five in World’

‘France in Good Position to be Top Five in World’

17 November 2022
Schedule Announced as Two-Year Countdown to Paris 2024 Begins

Schedule Announced as Two-Year Countdown to Paris 2024 Begins

28 July 2022