Double joy for Thai in CM Cup

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The winners (from third left) Wang Jiaqi, Digvijay, Mananchaya and Rinky posing with Liew (third right), Apin (right), Ibrahim (left) and tournament officials after the prize presentation at SLAT Tennis Centre yesterday.

KUCHING: Mananchaya Sawangkaew of Thailand capped a fine week of tennis in the 30th Sarawak Chief Minister’s Cup (II) ITF Junior Circuit (Grade 3) with a double win at the Sarawak Lawn Tennis Association (SLTA) Tennis Centre yesterday.

The ITF No.134 player applied the same tactics that she used in the 6-1, 6-2 semi-finals upset win against tournament top seed of China Zheng Qinwen to beat another China challenger in fifth seed Wang Jiaqi 6-2, 6-3 in the girls singles final that took one hour and 50 minutes.

On Saturday, Mananchaya lifted the girls doubles crown with South Korea’s Park Sohyun when they outlasted the Indonesian pair Priska Madelyn Nugroho and Janice Tjen 6-4, 2-6 (10-5) in the final.

As for the boys singles final that was played on Court 1, first-timer Rinky Hijikata of Australia, seeded seventh, overcame the stiff resistance from his Indian opponent Digvijay Pratap Singh 7-6(5), 6-3 to claim his first Grade 3 singles this year.

The match lasted two hours and 10 minutes.

“I didn’t play very well at the start and I didn’t have much rhythm but I got it back and kept it in the second set to win,” said Rinky of his first win in Kuching.

He had won a couple of doubles titles and this was his first Grade 3 singles title this year.

The Australian will be flying to Japan later yesterday to play in the Japan Super Juniors Grade A tournament today.

SLTA president Dato Patrick Liew gave away the prizes. Also present were tournament director Apin Pauzan and referee Ibrahim Ahmad Shaffiee.