Kai-Chen Chang bows to Luksika Kumkhum to reach the main round - Guangzhou Int’l Women's Open 2012
World number 129, Kai-Chen Chang, failed to save an upset against the 212th ranked Thai teenager, Luksika Kumkhum, in the final qualifying round of the GRC Bank Guangzhou International Women's Open 2012 on the morning
of Monday. The Thai professional registered the score line of 6-4, 4-6, 6-0 after a gruelling battle of an hour and 46 minutes at the hard courts of China.
The opening set witnessed a serve hold at both ends but not before there was a hint of an early breakpoint for either party during their return game. An exchange of breakthroughs followed up in the following two games and pushed
the scores to 2-2. Chang was put under pressure after she lost another breakpoint and failed to yield a breakthrough back in the following game; falling to a trail of 2-4.
Kumkhum continued to rule the show and won another breakpoint that helped her to post a resounding lead of 5-2. She lost just one point on her serve before winning the first set. It was another terrible start for the 21-year-old
Taiwanese professional who had lost the first set in the previous battle earlier this year as well but she was able to bounce back and win the contest on that occurrence.
The comeback was expected and the breakpoint for the Taiwanese professional in the third game of the second set enhanced the chances of the expected result. She led the scores 4-1 courtesy a serve hold in the fifth game. The lead
was kept intact until the end of the eighth game when the scores moved on to 5-3. However, a cameo from Kumkhum earned her a breakpoint but she failed to hold serve and lost the second phase of the set.
Chang began the final set in dismal fashion; lost the opening serve game and couldn’t fight back to level the scores instead fall victim to a trail of 0-2. She lost the second breakpoint on the trot and was thumped away to a trail
of 0-4. The 19-year-old Thai won the third breakpoint in the fifth game and registered a bagel with a serve hold to love that confirmed her place in the main draw of the tournament.
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