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| Thursday, 21 August 2003 |
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Second seed upset and top seed given a scare Second seed Rushmi Chakravarthi was eliminated and top seed Napaporn Tongsalee given a mighty scare in the second round of the US$ 10,000 ITF Grand Slam Development Fund Women's Professional Championships on the SLTA courts, Green Path, yesterday. The first major upset of the Jembo Cables - sponsored championship (the first women's professional event to be held in the island) was created by unseeded German Nadine Hassinger who disposed of the second seed Indian, 7/5 (5), 6/1 in one hour 35 minutes. The first set proved decisive as both players determinedly sought to wrest the early initiative. For one hour they fought a dour battle in the afternoon heat and eventually it was a tiebreaker that decided the issue, hassinger winning 7/5. The battle was less intense in the second set as hassinger exploited the advantage as she finished off the weary Chakravarthi in 35 minutes in the second set. Hassinger quarterfinal opponent will be the fifth seed Czech Veronika Ctyrtnickova, a 6/2, 6/2 winner over Thai Varanya Vijuksanaboon yesterday. Top seed Tongsalee of Thailand was subjected to a 2 hour 20 minute ordeal before eventually overcoming unseeded Indian Iciri Rai for a place in today's quarterfinal line up. The Thai dropped the crucial first set, lasting 65 minutes, in a tiebreaker and was trailing 1-4 in the second set when she produced a dramatic fight back. Showing the fighting qualities of a champion, Tongsalee reeled off 11 games in a row to eventually win, 6/7 (8), 6/4, 6/0. She meets compatriot Orawan Lamangthong, the eighth seed, in the quarterfinals. Lamangthong won over Indonesian Aleta Sungkono, 6/1, 6/4, in the second round yesterday. Sri Lanka's presence in the singles of the tournament ended yesterday with the defeat of 17-year-old Bishop's schoolgirl Mahesha Seneviratne. She was beaten 6/2, 6/0 by the sixth seed Indian Isha Lakhani, who last week won the US$ 10,000 tournament in Bangkok, defeating top seed Tongsalee along the way. Lakshani's quarterfinal opponent will be third seed compatriot Jayram-Sai Jayalashmy, a 6/1, 6/2 winner over Lata Assudani of India yesterday. The last of the quarterfinals will also be an all-India affair with seventh seed Samrita Sekar confronting fourth seed Archana Venkataraman. India thus dominates the list of quarterfinalist taking four of the final eight places. Sri Lankan interest was kept alive by the presence of Thiyumi Abeysinghe in the second round of the doubles, in partnership with top seed Tongsalee. The pair was due to meet Indians Sekar and Venkataraman later yesterday. |
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