Top-seeded Thai through to semis at Asia Cup

Thailand’s Danai Udomchoke dispatched Vivek Shokeen of India 6-3, 6-4 Thursday to advance to the semi-finals of the round-robin Asia Cup.

Danai, the top seed at the 100,000-dollar tournament, needed just one hour to turn in a straight sets drubbing of the seventh-seeded Indian, who falls to the bottom of the Yellow Group standings with two losses.

“I still need more confidence in myself,” Danai said.

“Sometimes I have chances to finish the point earlier and I don’t,” he added.

The 26-year-old Thai, the tournament’s highest ranking player, capitalised on back-to-back service breaks midway through the first set to seize control of the action. A string of aces late in the second set helped the world’s number 110 widen the gap finally sealing the match with a backhand volley that the Indian could not return.

Danai will face Denis Istomin of Uzbekistan in a showdown that will have no ramifications for either player, with both finishing atop the group standings despite the result.

“It doesn’t matter tomorrow who wins or loses,” said Danai, who played early in the day to attend the evening wedding of fellow Thai tennis star, Paradorn Srichaphan to former Miss Universe Natalie Glebova.

“I am going to try and improve my confidence and play more aggressively tomorrow,” he added. In other Yellow Group action, third-seed Istomin advanced by defeating Mohammed Ghareeb of Kuwait 7-6 (7-1), 6-3, dashing the Kuwaiti’s shot at a semi-final berth.

In the Red Group, tournament four-seed Gouichi Motomura of Japan marched to the semi-finals with a straight sets defeat of India’s Ashutosh Singh 6-1, 6-2, taking just 38 minutes to knock the sixth-seeded Indian from contention.

Second-seeded Im Kyu-Tae of Korea will join Motomura in the semis after a 6-1, 6-4 straight sets win over Thailand’s Weerapat Doakmaiklee.

BANGKOK, Thursday, AFP