6/25/2008

Player of the week: Tamarine Tanasugarn


31 years old Tamarine Tanasugarn completed an extraordinary tournament last week in 's-Hertogenbosch. Former Top 20 and 10 times Top 100 finisher, the veteran Thai player started the year out of the Top 100 and was ranked #85 last week. So she needed to go through the qualification to get a place in the Main Draw.
But that wasn't a problem for Tanasugarn, who won six matches in a row to reach the final, defeating previous week champion in Birmingham Kateryna Bondarenko, american Ashley Harkleroad, local favourite Maichaella Krajicek and Top 30 Alona Bondarenko on her way. But in the final she had to face a very though opponent and at the best moment of her tennis career, Berlin champion and Roland Garros runner-up Dinara Safina.
Tanasugarn took advance of all her experience and her best adaptation to grass courts (in fact she has got her best Grand Slam results in Wimbledon, reaching the Last-16 round 6 times in the last 9 years) to defeat Safina 7/5 6/3 and capture her 2nd career title. I guess no seeded player will like to have Tamarine in her part of the draw this week in Wimbledon.

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