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Tennis
By Kamesh Srinivasan
Suchanan Viratprasert of Thailand who beat Chin Bee Khoo of Malaysia to win the $10,000 ITF women's circuit tournament in New Delhi on Saturday.
The 20-year-old Suchanan defeated second-seeded Chin Bee Khoo of Malaysia 6-2, 6-4 in a near two-hour baseline battle, in the final of the Oil India Limited $10,000 ITF women's circuit tennis tournament. Top-seeded Suchanan, ranked at a career-best 297, had won her fourth title earlier in the season in Chennai, and looked to be continuing in the same fashion, as she dominated the tournament here with her sharp and consistent game. With Chin Bee's strokes lacking punch, it was sheer labour in a lost cause for the 26-year-old Malaysian, who had recently won her maiden singles title in Lagos, Nigeria, beating Megha Vakharia. In fact, it was a highly creditable effort by the Malaysian after her three-and-a-half hour semifinals against doubles partner Megha. Suchanan faced breakpoints in three of her service games, but wriggled out with intelligent approach and neat execution of strokes, hit with varying degrees of pace, loop and spin, but with a high degree of precision. There were many lively rallies much to the jubilation of the sparse gathering, and most of the time it was Suchanan who affixed her stamp of authority with punchy drives, that saw Chin Bee scampering in vain. The Thai saved a break point in her first service game, and broke the Malaysian in the third and seventh games, to pocket the first set. Into the second, Suchanan saved two breakpoints on her serve in second game, and broke the Malaysian in the third and ninth games. She was broken in the eighth game, and missed three matchpoints in what proved to be the last game, but Suchanan was far too good to be stretched for long. "I am happy with the way I played from the third match in this tournament. Chin Bee is a good player and it was a tough match. She moved me around, and when I attacked, she tried to slow the pace with lobs. I had to start all over again so many times,'' said Suchanan, who has a 3-1 record against the Malaysian. Suchanan said that she was a little anxious to finish the match and thus lost her concentration while trying to convert those matchpoints. She, however, recovered her composure and played firm, forcing Chin Bee to make her umpteenth error, that brought the curtains down. The Thai, who has won her other singles titles in Japan, Indonesia and back home in Thailand, had also done well at the Challenger level, making the semifinals twice, in Doha and Mumbai. She collected $1,600 for her effort. The runner-up was presented $1,000. The ITF Development Officer for Asia, and incidentally the husband of Chin Bee Khoo, Suresh Menon, gave away the prizes. He congratulated the AITA for conducting a number of tournaments, especially for women. The results (final): Suchanan Viratprasert (Tha) bt Chin Bee Khoo (Mas) 6-2, 6-4.
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