Kittipong the lone hope for Thailand
Thai No 2 Kittipong Wachiramanowong will carry the hopes of local fans in the US$50,000 Chang-SAT Bangkok Open, which starts at the Rama Gardens Hotel on Monday.
With the country’s No 1 Danai Udomchoke currently playing the US Open qualifying event in New York – which would see him withdraw from the event at home if successful – Kittipong is the lone Thai contender for the only 2012 Challenger event in Thailand.
The tournament is also shorn of local top duo Sonchat and Sanchai Ratiwatana, who after winning three straight Challengers in China got a direct entry into the main draw of the US Open, the year’s last major, which coincides with the event.
Since Paradorn Srichaphan lifted the trophy in 2000, no Thai has ever won a home challenger again. Danai came closest at emulating the former world No 9 by reaching the final in the first leg of the two Challengers in 2009, only to lose to Germany’s Florian Mayer, now ranked 23 in the world.
This year’s field features Dudi Sela of Israel, No 110 in the world, as the highest-ranked player, followed by Turkey No 1 Marsel Ilhan, No 160; Yuichi Sugita of Japan, 165; 2010 runner up Alexander Kudryavstsev, 177; China’s Jimmy Wang, 182; German Peter Gojowsczyk, 197; last year’s finalist Amir Weintraub of Israel, 202; and former world junior No 1 Yang Tsung-hua of Taiwan, 213.
Three Australian up-and-coming players, Benjamin Mitchell, John Millman and Matt Reid, have also committed to play. The men’s singles and doubles finals can be seen live on TrueVisions.
Meanwhile, in the US Open qualifying round, Danai is to play Spain’s Andrian Menendez-Maceiras, while Tamarine Tanasugarn meets Germany’s Sarah Gronert, and Noppawan Lertcheewakarn takes on Ekaterina Bychkova of Russia.
