Noppawan faces old foe in Dubai Final
Noppawan Lertcheewakarn will renew her rivalry with French rising star Kristina Mladenovic in a rematch of their 2009 junior Wimbledon final when they square off today in the final of the US$75,000 Al Habtoor Tennis Challenge in Dubai.
The Thai No 2 advanced to the final with a shock 6-4 7-5 victory over top seed and world No 53 Simoa Halep of Romania in the semi-finals yesterday, in the process avenging the defeat suffered by Thai No 1 Tamarine Tanasugarn at the hands of the Romanian in round two on Wednesday.
Mladenovic booked today’s showdown with Noppawan after she upset sixth-seeded Arantxa Rus of the Netherlands 6-1 6-2. She lost to her Thai opponent in the Wimbledon girls’ singles final two years ago.
