Last Thai hope Luksika falls
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Thai No 1 Luksika Kumkhum's dream of a place in the US Open was snuffed out in the second round of qualifying on Thursday, as the No 2 seed went down 3-6 4-6 to Germany's Carina Witthoeft.
The 98th-ranked Thai was inconsistent and had trouble with the booming serves of the powerful German teenager, who sent down ace after ace in their 67-minute encounter.
“I really had a tough match today. She served really well when it mattered, while I made so many mistakes,” said Luksika, who accepted that she should have studied her opponent before the match.
“I had no idea about her style until we were on court. I learnt my lesson,” added Luksika, whose loss means there will be no Thai at this year’s US Open.
The Thai No 1 arrives home tomorrow and will play a tournament in Hong Kong before representing Thailand in her debut Asian Games.
“I’m excited to be making my debut in the Asian Games. I’ve heard that a lot of good players, especially the Chinese, will be playing at the Asiad, so it won’t be easy. I’ll do my best as I’ll be playing for my country.”
