Champaign, Ill. – Bunyawi Thamchaiwat's NCAA Singles Championships run ended in the second round on Tuesday afternoon, where she fell to No. 7 Eryn Cayetano of USC 6-2, 7-5 at the Khan Outdoor Tennis Complex on the campus of the University of Illinois.
"Bunyawi played a very solid match against a tough opponent," Head Coach Peter Mattera said. "She represented Aztec Athletics at an extremely high level on the biggest stage college tennis has to offer. I am proud of the season she and the team have had, and I am excited to have her back next year."
In the first set Thamchaiwat fell in the first game before rallying and taking the second game to tie it at 1-1, utilizing her serving ability to keep Cayetano on her toes. Cayetano then won three games in a row to take a 4-1 lead, before Thamchaiwat won the next to make it a 4-2 advantage in favor of Cayetano midway through the set. Cayetano then rallied to win the next two games to clinch the first set 6-2.
In the second set, Cayetano jumped out to a 2-0 lead before Thamchaiwat earned her first point of the set in the third game to make it a 2-1 contest. Thamchaiwat then won her second game in a row to tie the second set at two games apiece. The duo would remain deadlocked at the midway point of the set, knotted up at 3-3, and the two would continue trading points when Thamchaiwat made it 4-4 in the set after the eighth game. Thamchaiwat then took her first lead of the match when she went up 5-4 in the second set, before Cayetano rallied back to win the set 7-5 and clinched the match 6-2, 7-5.
The Note: Thamchaiwat became the first Aztec to advance to the second round in the NCAA Singles Championships since 1986, when both Cynthia MacGregor and Monique Javer won their opening round matches.
Thamchaiwat Falls In Second Round of NCAA Championships
