Benyapa, born on Aug 29, 2002, had an early start and by 13-years-old had represented Thailand in the 2015 Asian Juniors Under-15 where she managed to pick up a silver medal in the mixed doubles. She clearly began to improve as she took part in more competitions, the experience gained also helped to lift her performances.
Within the next few years, she made her senior debut in Laos and has grown from strength to strength. Last year, Benyapa, who competes in the singles, doubles and mixed doubles categories, was part of the team that emerged victorious in the Badminton Asia Junior Championships in China.
For Benyapa, the Badminton Asia Junior team title aside, she also performed well in the singles event where she reached the semifinals but lost out to China’s Zhou Meng.
Benyapa, along with Peeraya Khantaruangsakul, won their tie in the mixed team final where Thailand edged Indonesia in a closely contested battle. It was to be Thailand’s first-ever title in this tournament.
"To be crowned champions is something we will cherish in Suzhou. Not many gave us hope of even playing in the final. However, we showed tremendous fighting spirit,” said Thailand coach Udom Luangphetcharaporn after the win.
Benyapa’s fighting spirit has been remarkable and it helped her reel in some decent results last year. Her strong performances in the Badminton Asia Junior meet would inspire her for the rest of the year.
After reaching the semifinals of the Hyderabad Open, she would go on to land a double at the India Junior International. She defeated Riko Gunji in singles final and then combined forces with Ratchapol Makkasasithorn to claim the mixed doubles crown.
Soon after, Benyapa, again with Ratchapol, would battle their way through to reach the semifinals of the BWF World Junior Championships in Russia. However, their hopes of going any further were stopped by China’s Feng Yan Zhe-Lin Fang Lin.
She would end the year with yet another solid performance at the India International Challenge where she would advance to the singles final and lose to her compatriot Porntip Buranaprasertsuk.
Benyapa took part in several tournaments in the early part of this year and before she was able to get her game back on track, her hopes were cut-short by the suspension of competition due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Like all badminton players around the world, she is waiting for the competition to resume to pick up from where she left off.
She is a player with the ability to go very far and one that has the makings of a future champion. In the coming years, with more experience under her belt, Benyapa will be giving the senior players a run for their money.
Image Source: x
