THURSDAY, March 28, 2024
nationthailand

Tamarine one win away from beloved Wimbledon

Tamarine one win away from beloved Wimbledon

Making her 17th appearance at Wimbledon, 36-year-old Tamarine Tanasugarn showed she was still competitive on grass, while her young compatriots fell at the first hurdle in the opening qualifying competition at Roehampton.

Tamarine weathered shaky moments against Serb player Jovana Jaksic and relied on her experience and guile on the London lawn to topple her 19-year-old opponent 7-6 (7-5) 6-3 on Tuesday.
“I’m old but I’m still impatient like a teenager sometimes,” said Tammy, who has clocked up almost 20 years on the pro circuit. 
“I was up 3-1 in both sets but should have been more patient. The competition courts are slower than the practice courts so I had to adjust my momentum and collect my concentration.” 
The Thai also revealed she had sought the help of a physiotherapist to prepare for her second-round qualifier.
“You have no idea what playing on grass can do to your body. You have to bend your knees a lot on this surface and that takes a toll on your body,” said Tammy, who agreed with compatriot Danai Udomchoke’s words this week on how tennis has changed dramatically.
“The young players are physically stronger and everyone has a power game. In the past we tended to rely more on technique. The job now is to stay fit and healthy to catch up with these kids,” said Tammy, who was to play seventh seed Tvonne Meusburger of Austria last night.
Tammy’s fortunes were in sharp contrast to those of her younger compatriots, all of whom exited qualifying in the first round. Thai No 1 Luksika Kumkhum took a set from another veteran, Virginie Razzano, before the Frenchwoman powered to a 6-3 7-5 win. Varatchaya Wongteanchai squandered being a break up in the final set and was outlasted by top seed Paula Ormaechea of Argentina 6-1 2-6 4-6, while Nudnida Luangnam was ousted by Sacha Jones of Australia 6-3 6-1.  In the men’s second qualifying round, Danai Udomchoke who suffered from a blister on his right foot was picked off by Japanese No 2 Go Soeda 3-6 2-6. 
 
 
 
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