Four Thai teams fall by wayside
[BEACH VOLLEYBALL] It turned out to be a disappointing day for Thai women. All four teams suffered losses in the qualifying round yesterday, leaving foreign teams booking places in the main draw of the inaugural Phuket Thailand Open at Karon Beach.
Niphaporn Kaewpila and Plunjit Kleejumpee had no answer to the guns of Nadia Emi and Muriel Graessli of Switzerland and went down 21-13 21-12. Compatriots Julalak Radarong and Pittawan Wongchaiya were crushed by Spanish Clara Lozano and Nadia Campisi 21-13 21-11. Nonglak Khorsoongnoen and Supannee Doksantia followed their compatriots on the scrap heap, falling to Miwa Asao and Takemi Nishibori of Japan 21-19 21-12, while Rinsai Preeprem and Maneerat Udomchavee lost to Canadian Asta Baltakys and Bryce Barry 21-19 21-12. Meanwhile, all three French teams made it to the main draw. Their good run started with Tatiana Berrera and Virginie Kadjo, who beat Asao and Nishibori of Japan 19-21 15-12 21-17. Another French duo Eva Hamzaoui and Deborah Giaoui came from behind to win 14-21 21-19 16-14 over Liesbeth Van Breedam and Liesbeth Mouha from Belgium, while the paring of Morganie Fauri and Virginie Sarpaux defeated Yelena Alenkina and Marina Storozhenko of Kazakhstan 21-23 21-15 15-8. In other matches, Chinese Man Zuo and Ying Zhang fell to Denise Johns and Lucy Boulton of England 21-19 22-20. Graessli and Johns of Switzerland came from behind to beat Spanish Campisi and Lozana 16-21 21-18 15-5. Japanese Chiaki Kusuhara and Mika Teru Saiki beat Katrin Holtwick and Lika Semmler of Germany 29-27 21-16. Germans Geeske Banck and Suzanne Lahme downed Danes Pia Larsen and Stine Andreasen 25-23 21-17, while Canadians Bryce Barry and Asta Baltakys went down to American Nancy Mason and April Ross 21-12 21-10. Today the first round starts at 9am, with two Thai pairs, Kamolthip Kulna and Jarunee Sannok and Yupa Phukrongploy and Usa Tenpaksee, launching their campaigns.
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