Noppawan shown exit in Aust Open qualifiers
Rusty Noppawan Lertcheewakarn lost in the first round of the Australian Open qualifiers when she went down to Canada's Stephanie Dubois 7-6 (7-1) 6-4 yesterday.
The Thai No 2 hit 33 winners but committed 51 unforced errors in the one-hour-and-45-minute encounter against her 213th-ranked rival. She quickly fell 5-1 behind in the first set before saving a couple of set points to level at five all and force the tie-break.
However, the attacking ground strokes deserted her in the mini-set as she managed to produce only one point. Noppawan lost her serve at the start of the second set and the Canadian kept the break until the end.
Luksika Kumkhum, in singles, and Tamarine Tanasugarn, in doubles, are the remaining hopes for Thailand in the year’s opening major. The women’s singles draw will be made this afternoon, while the doubles draw is due next week.
