Pruchya plots killer blow for Vietnam’s big guns
Redhot Pruchya Isarow believes his current form can catapult hosts Thailand to a victory over Vietnam in their Davis Cup Zone Asia/Oceania Qualifying Group II second round tie at the National Tennis Development Centre this weekend.
The 20-year-old from Hat Yai has won four of his last five tournaments and is determined to clinch both of his singles rubbers against Vietnamese No 1 Nam Hoang Ly and No 2 Minh Tuan Pham in the regional clash starting on Friday.
“I’m confident with my game now after reaching five straight finals [Surat Thani Open, TATP in Bangkok and three Asian Tennis Tour circuits in Hua Hin],” said Pruchya, who has won seven singles matches in his 10 Davis Cup appearances.
“It’s mandatory that I have a good start on Friday and win my reverse singles rubber. I’ve never played either of the Vietnamese singles players but I believe I can tackle them,” said the 904th ranked Pruchya, who will take on Pham on Friday.
Also on the opening day, Thai No 2 Kittipong Wachiramanowong will face Vietnam’s No 1 Ly, the world No 870 who made headlines last year by becoming the first Vietnamese to win a junior Wimbledon title along with Indian Sumit Nagal in the boys’ doubles.
“Thailand are a very strong team and have been in Group I before, while we just came up from Group III for the first time last year. I will try to win each match I play,” said the 19yearold Ly, who is familiar with the competition venue in Bangkok after making several visits for ITF junior events.
Vietnam’s skipper Troung Quoc Bao rates his team’s chances at 50-50.
“Our players have been preparing for the Davis Cup for quite some time, playing in Hong Kong and training in Taiwan before coming here. We are ready for this tie but we know that Thailand are a strong team,” Bao said.
Former Thai Davis Cup player Vittaya Samrej predicts a tough fight from Vietnam but is confident in the ability of all four of his players, including doubles specialists Sonchat and Sanchai Ratiwatana.
“In the first round, Vietnam beat Indonesia on Indonesian soil, which is quite something. We cannot afford to let our guard down against them. But our singles players are talented while our doubles team has far more experience. We should pull it off in the end,” Vittaya said.
Live coverage of all three days is at http://www.pptvthailand.com.
