PATTAYA : Thai wildcard Varatchaya Wongteanchai yesterday sprung a major upset at the PTT Pattaya Open, beating Germany world No.68 Annika Beck 6-3, 6-3 in their first-round match.
Varatchaya Wongteanchai beat Annika Beck in the first round of the Pattaya Open.
After the Thai rushed out to a 3-1 lead in the second set, Beck fought back to level the score at 3-3. Varatchaya quickly recovered, though, breaking Beck again to secure victory.
Varatchaya will next meet New Zealand's Marina Erakovic, who beat third-seeded Hsieh Su-wei.
Today, Thai teen Luksika Kumkhum will face Australia's Casey Dellacqua.
Taking advantage of their day off yesterday, several top players, including former world No.1 Ana Ivanovic, paid a lunchtime visit to orphaned children at the Child Protection and Development Centre.
Ivanovic was joined by Germany's Sabine Lisicki and China's Zhou Yi Miao at the Dusit Thani hotel. Although rain interrupted, the players took to the task with smiles on their faces.
Today's matches start at 3pm and will be live on TrueVisions 69.
RESULTS
Qualifying round: Bethanie Mattek-Sands (USA) bt Duan Ying Ying (CHN) 6-2, 6-2; Anastasia Rodionova (AUS) beat Zarina Diyas (KAZ) 4-6, 6-3, 6-2; Anastasija Sevastova (LAT) beat Alison Riske (USA) 4-6, 7-5, 7-6
First round: Marina Erakovic (NZ) bt Hsieh Su-wei (TWN) 6-2,6-2; Varatchaya Wongteanchai (THA) bt Annika Beck (GER) 6-3, 6-3; Alexandra Panova (RUS) bt Irina-Camelia Begu (ROM) (retired) at 7-6, 3-2; Mathilde Johansson (FRA) bt Kai-Chen Chang (TWN) 6-4, 6-3