Noppawan Lertcheewakarn connects with a backhand during her match yesterday
SEA GAMES gold medallist Noppawan Lertcheewakarn needed just 54 minutes to stun Russian sixth seed Marta Paigina 6-2 6-0 in the opening round of the US$25,000 ITF Women's Circuit at True Arena yesterday.
The former Wimbledon junior champion launched a barrage of powerful groundstrokes to keep her 17-year-old opponent at bay and took the match easily in perfect conditions.
"She served big and hit the ball hard. So I tried to return the ball deep to keep her off rhythm," said Noppawan, ranked 466th in the world. "I tried to keep her out of the comfort zone by moving her around. Once I managed to break her serves, she seemed to lose confidence, which made it comfortable for me as the match went on," added the 24-year-old, who hails from Chiang Mai.
"I saw her play during the previous US$25,000 ITF event in Thailand a few months ago. She had reached the quarter-finals losing to the eventual champion [Akiko Omae]. If she is allowed to play her game, she would be tough to defeat," said the 2009 Wimbledon junior champion.
Waiting for her in the next round is Taiwan's Lee Pei-Chi who pipped Chinese qualifier Zhang Yukun 7-5 7-6 (10-8).
"We have a similar style and she also loves to take the initiative from the baseline. The one who controls the situation better will have the advantage," said Noppawan, who reached the semi-final of the US$25,000 event at the National Tennis Development Centre, the best result by a local in that tournament.
Three more Thais made it to the second round. Varunya Wongteanchai was leading Serbian qualifier Natalija Kostic 7-6 (8-6) 4-0 when the latter retired from the match with a thigh injury while rising star Bunyawi Thamchaiwat came back from a break down at 4-5 in the second set to upset eighth seed Kamonwan Buayam 4-6 7-5 6-1 in two hours and 50 minutes.
"She was serving for the match and I tried to be more focused and determined not to make any unforced errors. When I took the set, she appeared to have some problem moving around the court in the third set," said the 18-year-old.
Another Thai teenager Plobrung Plipuech, who battled through qualifying, upset Ju Jiaxi of China 6-3 4-6 6-2.
The other Thai competitor, wild-card Nudnida Luangnam, was tied with Wei Zhanlan of China at 2-6 6-4 before rain suspended play.
Elsewhere, Japan's Miyabi Inoue upset Chinese second seed Tian Ran 6-4 3-6 6-4, Gao Xinyu of China beat countrywoman Sheng Yuqi 6-3 6-0, Indian qualifier Karman Kuar Thandi edged China's Kang Jia-Qi 6-4 5-7 6-4, top seed Shino Akita of Japan routed Natasha Palha of India 6-2 6-2 and South Korea's Kim Na Ri beat China's Li Yixuan 6-4 6-0 in an all-qualifier affair.
