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Thai me down in Kangaroo-land sport - Page 2

© Michael Cecilio

Tanasugarn may be unknown to the sometimes tennis fan, but is renowned for her 6-0 6-2 demolition of 4th seed Iva Majoli in the third round of the 1998 Australian Open, a loss which seemed to signal the end for the one-time Roland Garros champion (Majoli has currently plummeted to 164th in the world rankings). The results have been steady for Tamarine ever since, having achieved a career high ranking of #33 in August 1998. Although she reached the fourth round of the Australian Open two years ago, she consistently finds her best grand slam form at Wimbledon where she has reached the final sixteen in two consecutive years. Reaching the final sixteen in a Grand Slam is no laughing matter, but a completely major surprise for someone who had absolutely no training on grasscourts in her formative years.
“In Thailand we have cement courts and if they don’t resurface (them), (they play) fast so I probably got the fast practice from the fast courts in Thailand”.

Judging by her results, one would have to agree that fast courts are to her liking. One would also assume that the faster surfacing of the Australian Open courts this year would work to her advantage as she has shown some tremendous form in this tournament, having cruised through her opening two rounds. She had taken her best form all the way to the third round in facing the experienced campaigner, the 12th seed Sandrine Testud. Tanasugarn knows only too well what Sandrine is about on the tennis court - a player with a strong backhand and a heavy first and second serve, Tamarine has established an interesting on-court rivalry with this player throughout the years and in fact took out the Frenchwoman at Wimbledon last year.
“Grasscourts or hardcourts or claycourts, (against Sandrine) it’s a very tough match because we have played each other three times and we play three sets all the time.”
True to the rivalry, the match went the distance but but the three setter did not to go Tamarine’s way. Not that she didn’t have her chances. In absolutely heartbreaking fashion, Tamarine let three match points slip at 6-4 5-4 on Testud’s serve to lose the match 4-6 7-5 6-2.
“(On my match points) I was trying my best, trying to put every ball back, trying to pressure her – she still (played) very good shots ... It’s difficult because she’s very strong minded. I think I played well during the last three match points. I returned well, but she’s very strong and she’s very stable.

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