PTT Thailand Open 2011
Home-court favorite Danai Udomechoke prevailed in a see-saw battle against #6 seed Fabio Fognini of Italy, with a score line of 6-4, 3-6, 6-2 in the PTT Thailand Open 2011 first round late Monday evening.
Despite sustaining a shoulder injury, the Thai ace had a strong service game in the first set, winning 88 percent of points on his first serve.
Both players held serve until the ninth game when Fognini saved one break point only to face another immediately after as Udomchoke hit a running backhand down the line. The Thai veteran finally converted to take a 5-4 lead. He continued to hold his serve and take the first set, 6-4.
Thailand’s Danai Udomechoke hits a forehand to Fabio Fognini of Italy during their first round encounter in Bangkok on Monday, Sept. 26. (Photo/PTT Thailand Open)
In the second set, the world #217 broke the Italian’s serve to go up 2-1 but was broken on the next two service games to trail 2-4. Fognini came up with more consistency and held serve to seal the set 6-2 to level.
In the final set, Udomchoke took advantage of unforced errors splattered by the Italian to break in the fourth and the sixth games for a 5-1 lead and held in the final game to advance into the second round for the third time.
In the first match of the evening session, unseeded Bulgarian Grigor Dimitrov went through to the second round after edging #5 seed Croatian Ivan Dodig in a 6-2, 7-5 victory.
21-year-old Dimitrov lost only three points on his serve and did not face a breakpoint en route to a 6-2 victory in the first set.
In the second set, he faced more of a challenge from world #37 Dodig, who played more aggressively and served far better than in the opening set. The two exchanged breaks of serve before the world #76 Bulgarian broke again in the eleventh game and consolidated the next to close out the match.
In Monday afternoon’s game, World #42 Robin Haase of the Netherlands made a winning debut at the tournament, defeating local hope Kittipong Wachiramanowong in straight sets 6-3, 7-6 (1).
In the opening set, both players exchanged breaks of serve in the first two games before Wachiramanowong survived a break point and eventually held serve to go up 2-1.
However, the 21-year-old Thai was broken in the fifth game despite winning the first two points, as the Dutchman raised his game, hitting more powerful shots from the baseline.
Haase did not allow his opponent to break back as he held his serve handily and broke Wachiramanowong again in the ninth game with a drop shot volley to take the first set, 6-3.
In the second set, Haase jumped out to a 2-0 lead, breaking Wachiramanowong’s first service game with a running forehand passing shot. The 532nd-ranked Thai, however, broke back immediately as the Dutchman double-faulted.
Wachiramanong appeared to be grow in confidence as he hit more winners and tried to get to the net more often. Both players continued to hold serve as the set went into a tiebreaker but experience proved to be the key as Haase made quick work of his Thai opponent winning the tiebreaker, 7-1.
Top seed Andy Murray of Scotland arrived in Bangkok on Monday afternoon and will play his first game of the tournament on Thursday evening.
