Nicha rises, Luksika falls in Pattaya

There was mixed emotion for fans at the US$250,000 PTT Pattaya Open yesterday when unfancied Nicha Lertpitaksinchai produced a surprise victory while top two seeds Sabine Lisicki and Svetlana Kuznetsova withdrew from the tournament with injuries.

Meanwhile, the Kingdom’s No 1 player, Luksika Kumkhum, was nowhere near the form that saw her upset world No 6 Petra Kvitova in the Australian Open, as she went down to former world No 15 Julia Goerges of Germany 6-4 6-4. On the adjacent court, dark horse Nicha upset world No 153 Alexandra Krunic of Serbia 6-3 6-3 to everyone’s surprise at the Dusit Thani Pattaya venue.

But the worst news came later in the day when Wimbledon finalist Lisicki was forced to withdraw despite winning her first round match on Monday against Croatia’s Donna Vekic, citing a right-shoulder injury. Kuznetsova, who also won her match the night before against China’s Zhang Shuai, forfeited with a hip injury.

“I hurt my shoulders during the match yesterday. It was pretty obvious that I wasn’t able to serve in the second and third sets. I was hoping it could get better overnight but unfortunately it didn’t,” Lisicki said. 

Not only fans were surprised, but also Nicha, a 22-year-old student of Suan Dusit Rajabhat, was shocked by the level of tennis she displayed to catapult her into the second round of a WTA event for the first time.

“I was so overwhelmed. This is by far my biggest win, as I’ve never reached a WTA second round before,” said Nicha, who won three gold medals from singles, doubles and team events at the National Games in Suphan Buri last month. 

“Coming to the court I didn’t expect much. I just thought I was luckier than other Thai girls, as I was drawn to play a qualifier. After I fought back from 1-3 to three all, I started believing that I could catch up with her. I was even more determined and I pulled it off,” said Nicha, who is coached by her uncle Sombat Eaummongkol, a former national player.

It was quite a turnaround for Nicha, who almost turned her back on tennis a few years ago after a series of early-round exits. But after moral support from her friends, she decided to give it another try. The decision proved right.

“Everyone is so supportive, especially the Sports Authority of Thailand, which gives me money to compete overseas. I just had to prove that I’m worth that support,” added Nicha, who will play either former Bangkok Open champion Vania King of Taiwan or sixth seed Elena Vesnina of Russia in the second round.

“I’m in the second round of a WTA event. I have nothing to lose now. This victory is a good morale booster for me and I will try to do my best again.”

Goerges, who has plummeted to No 102 in the world after suffering several injuries, struggled with her game at the beginning. But after fighting off several break points in the seventh game of the first set, the German never looked back.

“Luksika is a tough opponent. She has a bright future. I was serving well, which made it tough for her. I was playing aggressive tennis,” said the former world No 15, who will move into the quarter-final due to Kuznetsova’s withdrawal.