Mananchaya stuns Parks to reach Wimbledon third round in Thai tennis milestone

Thailand’s Mananchaya Sawangkaew continued her remarkable Wimbledon 2026 run on Wednesday, sweeping past American Alycia Parks in straight sets to reach the third round of a Grand Slam for the first time in her career.

The 23-year-old Thai, ranked 164th in the world, defeated World No 81 Parks 7-5, 6-0 in the women’s singles second round, or round of 64, at the All England Club. Tennis.com listed Parks at No 81 and Mananchaya at No 164, with the Thai qualifier completing a 7-5, 6-0 victory.

Thai qualifier keeps dream run alive

Mananchaya, known by her nickname “Mai”, had already produced one of the standout results of the opening round after stunning World No 21 Maja Chwalińska of Poland.

Chwalińska, who had surged to No 21 after reaching the Roland Garros final, was beaten by Mananchaya 2-6, 7-5, 6-2 in the first round. The WTA said the victory was Mananchaya’s first Grand Slam main-draw win and her first win over a Top 30 opponent.

Against Parks, Mananchaya again showed composure under pressure. She was tested late in the opening set but held firm to take it 7-5 before dominating the second set 6-0 to seal her place in the last 32.

Historic step for Thai women’s tennis

The result made Mananchaya the second Thai woman to reach the third round at Wimbledon after Tamarine Tanasugarn, and the third Thai woman to reach the third round of a Grand Slam after Tamarine and Luksika Kumkhum, according to Thairath.

Her progress also comes during a breakthrough tournament for Thailand. Mananchaya and Lanlana Tararudee both won first-round matches at Wimbledon, making it the first time in the Open era that two Thai players had reached the second round of the same Grand Slam event.

Prize money secured, bigger test ahead

By reaching the third round, Mananchaya has secured £185,000 in prize money, equivalent to about 8.2 million baht. The WTA’s Wimbledon prize-money breakdown lists £185,000 for players reaching the third round of the singles draw.

Mananchaya will next play in the round of 32 as she looks to extend one of the most memorable Grand Slam campaigns by a Thai player in recent years.

Sources: Women's Tennis Association, Tennis.com