After a dominant start to the Hangzhou 2022 Para Asian Games, Korean badminton sensation Yoo Soo-soo (WH2-Korea Disability Employment Agency) has vowed to defeat world No. 1 Daiki Kajiwara in the quarterfinals and make the final between Koreans. Yoo Soo-soo defeated Zhao Xin of China 2-0 (21-16 21-14) in Group D of the men’s singles preliminary round of the Badminton World Championships at Binjiang Gymnasium in Hangzhou, China on Nov. 21.
After winning his first match against Aljaruni Muhammad Ahmad Zaafar of the United Arab Emirates the day before, he accelerated his golden run with back-to-back wins. Gaining momentum with exquisite drop shots and high clears, Yoo struck from all corners of the court to extend his lead to 10-4 in the first set. Back-to-back unforced errors allowed her to close the gap, but she made quick work of her opponent’s attacks and clinched the set.
After a tense start to the second set, with the score tied at 6-6, Yoo seized the momentum and won the set with a wave of winners. After the match, Yoo said, “There is no pressure on the Chinese players as long as the referee is not biased. I played while thinking that the sound of my opponent’s cheering was fun.” “It’s my first appearance, but I’m enjoying it like a normal tournament. I hope to finish the qualifiers soon and enter the main competition.”
Japan’s Kajiwara, the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic gold medalist, looked relaxed and in control throughout her match against Sumpradit Apichat (THA) to record her first win of the tournament with a 2-0 (21-6 21-2) victory .Reading her opponent’s game plan, Gajiwara took the shuttlecock and exploited the gaps to take a commanding lead in the first set .In the second set, she seemed to have fully warmed up and went on a 12-0 run, conceding the first point of the match and easily scoring 21 points.
Yoo, who lost to Gajiwara in the final of the Thailand Para Badminton International in August last year, will be looking for revenge in this tournament. “I will meet Kim Jung-jun (WH2-Daegu Urban Development Corporation) or Kajiwara in the quarterfinals, but I will do my best to make the final between Korean players,” he said, vowing to regain the title of badminton powerhouse from Japan through this tournament and next year’s 바카라사이트 Paralympics.