Lanlana Tararudee of Thailand has won two close matches, yesterday she beat Harrriet Dart 63 in the third set. The young Thai player looks like a future star. She was coached by Paradorn Srichiphan, she has the game and the head and now she has the right team. AT US Open 2024 I saw her blow a 3-0 third set lead in qualies to Ann Li, who came back and won because one fan came to the match and cheered her on like crazy. The one fan made the difference in Li and Lanlana’s three person team just sat their like tree stumps. I mentioned this to her after this loss to Li at US Open. Yesterday her team acted totally different than US Open. Team Lanlana was emotionally engaged in the match which fueled her emotional adrenaline and purpose too. Watch out for this young player who is seeking her first Grand Slam main draw appearance at age 21. She will have to beat Lilli Tagger of Australia to do it.
Bernard Tomic lost 2R qualies to Arthur Fery in straight sets. Could this be the end for Bernie as a Grand Slam competitor?
Nishesh Basavareddy won a thriller vs Sebastian Ofner 46 64 76 (13-11) but he may have lost some fans in the process. Ofner lead the match tiebreak 7-1 but mistakenly thought he won, celebrated, then realized he had to win ten points not seven. Well, the celebration deflated Ofner who then blew match points and ultimately lost 11-13 and after the win Basavareddy made a choking gesture with his hands around his neck at the net, a cocky arrogant gesture which provoked criticism.
Michael Zheng won again vs Tomas Barrios Vera 64 67 62 and is now one match away from his first Grand Slam main draw. He will need to beat Lukas Klein.
Americans into 3R AO qualies are Zachary Svajda, Mackenzie McDonald, Tristan Boyer, Elena Kalieva, Whitney Osuigwe, Martin Damm Jr, Taylor Townsend, Sloane Stephens, and 24 year old Carol Young Suh Lee.
Some rough scenes at the Pridankina vs Tagger match won by Tagger 65 76 61. Pridankina was ahead 5-0 in second set tiebreak and lost seven points in a row. She had a meltdown, crying on court, she left court, her mom took her around the corner and yelled at her. She then went to a toilet and erupted, banging on walls, fans inside the court could hear the breakdown. Of course Pridankina could not play after that and only won one more game.
AO · Bernard Tomic · Lanlana Tararudee · Michael Zheng
