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.

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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,” said the fifth-seeded player. “But I am looking forward to tomorrow... I’m really happy to play and give my best tomorrow and enjoy one more game.”

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Marin will once again be facing off against top-ranked Tai Tzu-ying, who she has beaten two weeks in a row during the previous tournaments’ finals.

Earlier in the day, the Taiwanese player trounced South Korean teen prodigy An Se-young, who admitted to feeling lethargic during the 37-minute game.

“I think my physical condition has dropped – I feel heavy and made mistakes, so I couldn’t match Tai Tzu-ying’s speed,” said An of the 21-18, 21-12 game.

As for Tai’s final meeting with Marin, she said she wanted to just “focus now and be patient” for Sunday’s final.

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In the men’s games, Denmark’s Viktor Axelsen secured his spot in the final after trouncing second-ranked Chou Tien-chen, who he acknowledged gave him a run for his money in the 21-16, 21-9 match.

“Chou made it tough for me in the first game – he controlled the drift well but I managed to keep going,” said the fourth-ranked Dane, who will also be looking to win his third title in a row.

“I’m really, really happy to be in my third consecutive final here [in Bangkok]. I can’t even believe it to be honest,” Axelsen said.

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It will be a all-Danish showdown on Sunday – his compatriot Anders Antonsen pushed through a difficult three-set match with Taiwanese athlete Wang Tzu-wei to a 21-18, 14-21, 21-16 win.

Missing from the tournament are players from China and Japan – 2019’s World Tour Finals champs – because of coronavirus problems.

Despite the strict biosecurity arrangements in Bangkok, four people inside the tournament “bubble” have tested positive, including two players who were forced to withdraw.