Noppawan through to Phuket final
Noppawan Lertcheewakarn extended her hot form in the US$25,000 ITF Women's Circuit event after she rallied from an error-prone first set to beat Hungary's fourth-seeded RekaLuca Jani 2-6, 6-3, 6-1 in the semifinals in Phuket yesterday.
The Thai sixth seed cut out the uncharacteristic errors to beat the Hungarian, who she last met on court as a junior.
“I was leading 2-0 in the first set and when she broke back and led 32, I lost my concentration. After she went up 5-2, I didn’t expect to come back in the set. I just hoped to fight harder in the second,’’ said Noppawan, who was taken to several deuces at 2-3 before she finally held the crucial game for threeall.
“It was vital to win that game. After that I was more confident in my shots and went for winners,’’ added the 20-year-old, who dominated the rallies from then on. The local No 2 is eyeing her first title this season, with her last triumph coming in December in Dubai. In today’s final she faces Germany’s Dinah Pfizenmaier, who upset Ukrainian eighth seed Yuliya Beygelzimer 62 62.
“I had never seen her [play] before until this tournament. But I’ve seen that she hits topspin and has a solid defensive game. I have to be very patient and grab opportunities if they come.
