Champaign, Ill. – Bunyawi Thamchaiwat advanced to the second round of the NCAA Women's Tennis Singles Championship by dispatching Kari Miller of Michigan 6-3, 6-1 on Monday afternoon on the campus of the University of Illinois.
"She played well throughout the match," Head Coach Peter Mattera said. "She played the big moments extremely well, so she lives to fight another day. We are all extremely proud of how she fought, and how she battled throughout the entire match and are looking forward to tomorrow."
Thamchaiwat jumped out to an early 2-0 lead in the first set of the match, before Miller made a comeback in the middle portion of the set to tie it at 2-2. Thamchaiwat then rallied back, winning the next game to take a 3-2 lead, and followed that up with another game win to swing the momentum back in her favor, 4-2. Thamchaiwat battled and took a 5-2 lead before Miller won the next game to make it 5-3 in the first set. Thamchaiwat then wrapped up the first set in which she battled back from a 30-40 deficit to force a deuce, before coming out on top of the deuce to take the first set, 6-3.
With a 1-0 set lead, Thamchaiwat continued to put the pressure on Miller in the second set. She took another early 2-0 lead in the second set, constantly forcing Miller into uncomfortable positions by placing the ball in the corners of the court before utilizing her forehands to keep Miller off balance and on her toes. Thamchaiwat took the next two games easily as well, taking a 4-0 lead into the final portion of the set. Miller then took a point in the fifth game of the set before Thamchaiwat regained control to take a 5-1 lead looking to clinch the second set and the match. Thamchaiwat then clinched the match in the next game, winning the second set 6-1 and therefore winning the match in straight sets 6-3, 6-1.
Up Next: Thamchaiwat will take on No. 7 Eryn Cayetano of USC tomorrow in the round of 32 at 11:30 a.m. PT.
The Note: Bunyawi Thamchaiwat is the first Aztec to advance in the NCAA Singles Championship since 1986 when both Cynthia MacGregor and Monique Javer won their opening round singles matches.
-SDSU-