Tamarine Tanasugarn edges past Kai-Chen Chang in the second round – PTT Pattaya Open 2012
Local star, Tamarine Tanasugarn, tumbled over the Taiwanese qualifier, Kai-Chen Chang, in straight sets at the PTT Pattaya Open 2012 on Wednesday. She warded off early resistance to register a 7-6(7), 6-3 win against the Taiwanese to advance into the quarter-finals
at this WTA (Women’s Tennis Association) event taking place at the Dusit Thani Hotel in Thailand.
World number 94, Tanasugarn, remained on track to bid for her fifth WTA title after earning a straight set success in their third meeting. She not only took lead in the head-to-head series by 2-1 against the qualifier but also secured a spot in the final
eight.
With support from the home crowd, Tanasugarn confidently entered the Thai hard courts and drew the first blood in the opening game. She lost her edge in the following game but broke Chang’s serve twice to go 5-2 up. However, the Thai lost her following two
serves and levelled the scores at 5-5. Despite exchanging another serve break, Tanasugarn dominated in the tie-breaker and clinched the set with a 7-6(7) score line. She capitalised on all four break chances but blocked only two out of six breakpoints she
encountered.
The 34-year-old kept momentum sailing into the following set and smoothly plucked in her opening serve. Later, she held remaining serves until she got the coveted break in the sixth game and extended the lead by 4-2. Regardless of losing her edge in the
very next game, Tanasugarn converted another break opportunity to her advantage in the eighth game and then held her serve to pocket the set. The veteran failed to save the only breakpoint she faced but cashed in both break opportunities to seal the deal by
winning six games to three.
The Thai will next face the winner of the match between the fourth seed, Maria Kirilenko, and Australia’s Anastasia Rodionova.
On another court, the seventh seed Sorana Cirstea earned the limelight after dumping the high spirited Japanese, Misaki Doi, in straight sets. She lost her serve once but broke the Japanese’s serve five times, subsequently sealing the deal with a 6-2, 6-2
success in one hour and 14-minutes.
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