Thai duo scorch Norwegians in do-or-die thriller
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Asian Beach Games champions Varapatsorn Radarong/Tanarattha Udomchavee overcame searing heat and 11 matchpoints to stun Norwegian rivals in a threeset thriller in the Bangsaen Thailand Open powered by PTT yesterday.
In a must-win playoff, 10th seeds Varapatsorn and Tanarattha, who swept both titles in this year’s Asian Tour in Phatthalung and Songkhla, pulled off a magnificent come-from-behind 19-21 21-16 30-28 win over Norway’s Vilde Solvoll/Cindy Treland in a gruelling 77 minutes.
Earlier, the first round of the main draw saw the Thai duo go down to Americans Emily Day/Brittany Hochevar 1-2 (22-20 17-21 6-15). As a result they had to win their next match to keep their hopes alive of advancing in the topflight competition.
Under scorching sun, Varapatsorn and Tanarattha held their nerve in the doordie showdown with the Norwegians. With the match tied at one setall, the Thai duo let the win slip through their fingers at 15-14 and matchpoint as the visitors hit back point for point.
After a long rally, cheered on by the home crowd, the Thais finally found their touch. They had saved 11 matchpoints before finally winning two straight points to clinch the crucial tiebreaker 30-28.
“It was hot today and to beat such tough rivals was not that easy. We did our best in the third set, but they were very strong. Fortunately, we played our game, avoiding too many unforced errors. I’m relieved we finally managed to clinch the match,” said Varapatsorn.
The dramatic victory means Varapatsorn/Tanarattha will take on Jarunee Sannok/Usa Tenpaksee in an allThai match today that will see the winners advance and the losers elim
