Phuket tennis hopes dashed at ITF tennis tournament

PHUKET: Hopes of a Phuket player qualifying for the main draw of the Chang ITF Pro Circuit tournament 2011 being held at Thanyapura Sports and Leisure Club (TSLC) were dampened yesterday with Tachakorn Tonnon exiting the competition in the very first match.

Tachakorn, who plays his tennis out of Chalong, lost 6-0, 6-0 to Wing-Lun Lam of Hong Kong in a best of three sets encounter in just under an hour.

However, the score does not do justice to the young man’s efforts. Nerves certainly played a part in Tachakorn’s defeat, but it was clear that by midway through the second set his confidence was beginning to grow.

Rallies between him and his opponent increased in length, his ground strokes were more assured and he began to move Lam around the court.

Unfortunately, his form came too late and Lam was able to close out for a comfortable victory.

“Yes, I was quite nervous out there. I don’t think I practiced enough before the event. I’m glad to have had the experience, and I hope to have another chance in the future,” Tachakorn said to the Phuket Gazette.

TSLC vice president Dave Roberts – formerly ranked 445 in the world himself – was impressed with Tachakorn’s play.

“He (Tachakorn) has very good fundamentals, but the problem with players of this caliber is that they can hit well but are not getting enough match and tournament practice,” Dave explained.

There may still be hope for Tachakorn. Should a player scheduled to play in the second qualifying tournament next week forfeit his entry, Tachakorn could be called up to fill the vacancy.

Pavaporn Limsakul, Phuket’s second wild card entry, will play in the second qualifying tournament next week.

The Phuket Gazette and Blue Wave 90.5fm radio will keep readers and listeners informed of the tournament’s progress until its conclusion on November 12.

— Neil Quail