The Hindu : Udomchoke wins maiden Challenger title

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Monday, Oct 13, 2003

Sport

Sport - Tennis

Udomchoke wins maiden Challenger title

By Khalyan N. Ashok

Photo: K. Gopinathan

Thailand's Danai Udomchoke (left) who won the singles title poses with the doubles winners and compatriots Ratiwatana Sanchai and Ratiwatana Sonchat in the ATP Challenger Series at Dharwad on Saturday.

DHARWAD Oct. 12. Top seed Danai Udomchoke of Thailand, a seasoned professional on the Circuit, achieved a major career goal when he claimed his maiden Challenger title, beating third seed Yeu Tzuoo Wang of Chinese Taipei in the singles final of the $ 25,000 ATP Challenger tennis championship which concluded at the Dharwad District Tennis Association courts here on Sunday. Udomchoke won 7-6 (7-5), 6-1 in about 75 minutes.

Later, the Ratiwatana brothers from Thailand — Sanchai and Sonchat — made it a special Thai day, when they defeated the top-seeded Prakash Amritraj and Rik de Voest in the doubles final 3-6, 6-3, 7-5.

For the Sunday crowd, it was a disappointing finale to the weeklong tennis extravaganza as the title contenders were tentative in their approach and made a lot of unforced errors.

The tie, after an absorbing first set which saw fortunes fluctuate, became a lopsided affair as Wang, who had bouts of nausea, simply went through the motions in the second set.

For someone who had countered the power of Prakash Amritraj effectively in the semifinals, Wang looked off-colour and though there were sparks of brilliance when he hit some superb volleys and fired a couple of aces, the game generally dipped as he was unable to hold on to his serve and made a hash of his returns from the backcourt often.

Udomchoke, at 184, was the biggest gun in this field. More than power, his strength was his solid baseline game. And Udomchoke is someone who can play for hours, at a sedate pace, without losing focus. However, the Thai too was unable to match the occasion, as he struggled with his returns and was forced to several deuces on his serves. Once he took the first set tiebreaker, his level of confidence soared.

The two players broke each other in what became a predictable pattern in the first set and Udomchoke went up 5-4 with a break in the ninth game. But he was unable to drive home the advantage when he promptly dropped his serve in the 10th with a doublefault.

In the tiebreaker, Udomchoke led 3-0, before Wang made it 5-all. The Taipei teenager then netted two forehands to lose the first set 5-7.

By the end of the first set, Wang looked a spent force as he complained of nausea and sought medical attention. He, however, preferred to continue though his task proved a tough one.

After Udomchoke dropped the first game with a doublefault, Wang failed to capitalise. Given the physical constraints, he resembled a sitting duck when Udomchoke stepped up the pace and began attacking on both flanks with a series of hard-hit winners. Wang just went through the routine as Udomchoke charged to victory, taking the next six games.

The champion later admitted that though he won the title, it wasn't a great match. "I admit it wasn't great, but what is important is that I won a maiden Challenger title, though I have made it to the final on two earlier occasions. I have played Wang before and I knew his style, but I was bit tight and played only about 70 per cent of my capability. The place was noisy and there were distractions with people walking up and down the stands. It was difficult to concentrate, but I finally I made it,'' said Udomchoke.

Remarkable rally

The doubles final, however, provided an interesting fare. The unseeded Ratiwatana siblings staged a superb rally to beat Prakash and de Voest who were gunning for their second straight title. They looked on course while leading 5-2 in the decider, before the Ratiwatana brothers, playing with splendid coordination, took five games on the trot to seal victory.

The results (prefix indicates seedings):

Singles (final): 1-Danai Udomchoke (Tha) bt 3-Yeu Tzuoo Wang (Tpe) 7-6 (7-5), 6-1.

Doubles: Sanchai/Sonchat Ratiwatana (Tha) bt 1-Prakash Amritraj (Ind)/Rik de Voest (RSA) 3-6, 6-3, 7-5.

Printer friendly page
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Sport

News Update

Stories in this Section

Cricket

In the end, a tame draw indeed

Australia poised to crush Zimbabwe

Kiwis come through the ordeal with credit

Tennis

Udomchoke wins maiden Challenger title

Badminton

Chopda rallies past Singh

Chess

Tata Open: Final leg from today