Reigning Olympic champion Carolina Marin was unstoppable Saturday, clinching a spot in badminton’s World Tour Finals after quickly dispatching Thai player Pornpawee Chochuwong in a 21-13, 21-13 game.
The delayed 2020 season finale, which began Wednesday, is the third tournament behind closed doors in three weeks in Bangkok, as badminton resumes after months of coronavirus cancellations.
The Spaniard – winner of back-to-back titles for the past fortnight – is gunning for a hat-trick of victories in Sunday’s final.
Her opponent on Saturday, 13th-ranked Pornpawee, has performed better than expected in the World Tour.
She beat her personal idol, Thai star Ratchanok Intanon, as well as top-ranked Tai Tzu-ying during the round-robin stage earlier this week.
But the 23-year-old was no match against the more experienced Marin, who praised Pornpawee’s play and admitted that three straight weeks of badminton was wearing on her.
“Three tournaments in a row is tough,”…