Match: Kantapon Wangcharoe v Tommy Sugiarto, Men's singles final
Date: 12 February, Sunday
Time: 4:45pm SGT/2:15pm IST/8:45am GMT
Venue: Nimibutr Stadium, Bangkok
TV Channel: In Singapore, Hub Sports 1 will provide live TV coverage.
Live streaming: The match can be watched online at BWF Youtube channel, Hotstar.
Live scores can be found on tournament's official website.
Overview
World number 142 Kantapon Wangcharoe has made his maiden final of a Grand Prix Gold tournament at the ongoing Thailand Masters. The crowd favourite defeated Malaysian teenager Zii Jia Lee in a thriller, that stretched for 68 minutes.
The Thai teenager, who won a bronze at the World Junior Championships last year, conceded the first game 15-21 but fought back against Zii Jia, who has been stunning big names including top seed Tanongsak Saensomboonsuk in the quarter-final on Saturday. The decider saw high drama as the Malaysian shuttler saved two match points only to concede the third, which saw Kantapon winning the semi-final 15-21, 21-18, 22-20.
Also read: Busanan Ongbamrungphan v Aya Ohori, Women's singles final live stream
Kantapon has surprised quite a few with his run at home now after facing a quarter-final exit at the China International Challenge last month, which was his first tournament of the new season. However, the Thai teenager faces a tough test in the title match later today as he faces experienced Indonesian shuttler Tommy Sugiarto.
The world number 23, who lost the semi-final of the Malaysia Masters Grand Prix Gold against Lee Hyun II last month, has gone past the last-four hurdle in Thailand, defeating compatriot Anthony Ginting after conceding the first game 16-21, 21-18, 21-14.
Having started the season by getting to rub shoulders with the best in the game at Premier Badminton League in India, Sugiarto would have rued missing the opportunity to win a title in Malaysia. However, he will be glad about the second chance that he has gifted himself in Thailand and will be eager to make it count. Kantapon needs to punch above his weight if he has to stand a chance against his higher-ranked opponent.
TV Schedule
India: Star Sports
Singapore: Hub Sports 1
