Wang outlasts Watson, meets Lin in SF

Wang outlasts Watson, meets Lin in SF

China's Wang Xinyu in action against Britian's Heather Watson in Hua Hin yesterday.
China's Wang Xinyu in action against Britian's Heather Watson in Hua Hin yesterday.

Seventh seed Wang Xinyu of China beat Britain's Heather Watson 6-3, 6-7 (6/8), 6-4 in the quarter-finals of the Thailand Open in Hua Hin yesterday.

The marathon match at True Arena Hua Hin Sports Club lasted more than two and a half hours.

World No.81 Wang was the better player in the deciding set thanks to her good volley shots.

In today's semi-finals, she faces compatriot Lin Zhu who had few problems in her 6-2, 6-2 win against Tamara Zidansek of Slovenia.

The tournament is making a return after being called off for two years due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

The ongoing edition offers a total purse of US$250,000.

Thailand 1 Romania 1

In the Davis Cup World Group I play-offs, Thailand and Romania drew 1-1 on the opening day of their tie at the National Tennis Development Centre, Muang Thong Thani.

In the first singles, Thailand Yuttana Charoenphon beat Nicholas David Ionel 7-5, 3-6, 6-1 to give the home side a 1-0 lead.

In the second singles, Thailand No.1 Kasidit Samrej lost to Filip Cristian Jianu 6-4, 6-7 (5/7), 2-6.

Today's action begins at 11am with Thailand's Pruchya Isaro and Thantub Suksumrarn against Marius Copil and Victor Vlad Cornea in the doubles. It will be followed by Kasidit v Ionel and Yuttana v Jianu.

The winners of the tie will reach World Group I.

Kyrgios avoids conviction

Australian star Nick Kyrgios yesterday pleaded guilty to assaulting a former girlfriend, but avoided a conviction for what the magistrate called a "single act of stupidity".

Appearing in a Canberra court, the Wimbledon finalist admitted assaulting then-girlfriend Chiara Passari on Jan 10, 2021, by pushing her to the ground after a heated argument.

Kyrgios said he was "not in a good place" at the time, and that he "reacted to a difficult situation in a way I deeply regret".

"I know it wasn't OK and I'm sincerely sorry for the hurt I caused," he said in a statement.

Magistrate Beth Campbell dismissed the case without conviction.

Campbell said Kyrgios acted poorly but the offence was not planned or premeditated and was a "single act of stupidity" by a young man attempting to remove himself from a tense situation. bangkok post/afp

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