Thailand's No 1 Luksika Kumkhum and No 3 Nudnida Luangnam marched into the US$225,000 BMW Malaysia Open yesterday following qualifying wins in Kuala Lumpur.
The 209th-ranked Nudnida fought back from a set down to beat Monique Adamczak 5-7 6-1 6-3 in the final qualifying round while Luksika, No 147, booked her main-draw spot earlier with a 6-2 6-3 win over Russian Arina Rodionova.
"I was having fun out there, not thinking about winning or losing. I just played my game and took it one step at a time. Monique lost most of the important points and couldn't finish points she should have," said Nudnida, adding that the "Thai" conditions may have helped her game.
"I might have had the edge with the weather here, because it's as humid and warm as it is back home. After she won the first set, she must have been worn down by the heat. She was less aggressive and made more errors.
"In the final set, my first-serve percentage was higher so I held my games comfortably," said the 25 year-old Nudnida, who redeemed some pride after dismal results at the Pattaya Open and Fed Cup.
"Tennis is like that, there are good days and bad days. I just need to keep on working and keep believing," she said.
Federer survives scare
Roger Federer seemed to have talked his way into a scare before beginning an up-and-down defence of his Dubai Open title with a recovery against an opponent even more popular than himself on Monday.
The Grand Slam record-holder had said before the match that often took him a while to suss out players he had never previously played - and sure enough he ran into trouble against the best player in the Arab world, Malek Jaziri, dropping the first set to loud cheers.
When Federer found a couple of extra gears, taking the next two sets in less than three-quarters of an hour, a 5-7 6-0 6-2 win brought him prolonged applause as well.
But the outcome brought a definite sense of premonition with it.
"People might think, okay he's a wild card, so it's an easy draw," Federer had said."
I think it's tricky, because I don't know exactly his pattern, his favourite shots, all those things.
"It's always a big match here in the Middle East playing someone like him. And first rounds always create pressure as I'm the defending champion and I want to start well. So it's not a simple match for me."
Nevertheless some of this was dramatically improbable.
The unfamiliar one had not played a match for more than three months because of a knee injury, and was ranked outside the top 100, only getting into the tournament with a wild card.
But Jaziri has talent and attitude. The Tunisian blitzed his first serve at 135 mph, and played with the dangerous freedom of an underdog pleased just to get a bite or two into the big man's trouser-leg.
There were also other pressures on Federer, which he described with a mixture of honesty and a nicely bizarre sense of humour.
"I also think that it played on my mind, you know, that he has this huge knee brace, and a tape, not having played this year," he said, with a crazy chortle. "Gott win - right?"
Federer finished with some great serving statistics, several searing forehands, and a few nimble sideways scrambles which belied his status as the oldest player in the top ten.
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Article source: http://www.thethailandlinks.com/2013/02/27/luksika-nudnida-grab-malaysian-berths/
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