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Published on December 1, 2007

The top seed had to deal with aggressive deep flat groundstrokes that saw him drop the second set but in the end more consistent play saw him prevail 6-4 3-6 6-2 after an hour and 20 minutes.

"I rushed a little too much and made errors which cost me the second set. But I got an early break in the third set and he made a few more mistakes,'' said Danai, who is yet to lose a match at the LTAT National Tennis Development Centre.

In the semi-finals, Danai faces South Korea's Im Kyu-tae, who finished second in the red group.

They faced off in the recent Asian Hopman Cup, where the local ace won the match in three sets.

"He looks like he is not a threat but he has an all-round game. He doesn't serve big but they are well placed. He doesn't hit hard but the ball is flat. His volley is quite OK," said Danai who revealed he has a minor wrist injury.

"I need to play at the top of my game to beat him If I'm not careful with the return, it will hurt. Hopefully it won't affect my game tomorrow," he said.

Despite the loss, Istomin still progressed to the semis by finishing second in the group.

He will take on Japan's Gouichi Motomura, who upset second seed Im 2-6 7-6 (8/6) 7-5 in the two hours and 36 minutes, which was the longest match of this tournament so far.

The Japanese veteran, who will turn 34 on December 25,  could have wrapped up the match faster when serving for the match at 5-4 in the decider but dropped a game to allow Im draw level.

Unfortunately, the Korean sustained a cramp on his left thigh and despite on-court treatment, he was vulnerable from then on.

In an inconsequential match, Ashutosh Singh of India defeated Weerapat Doakmaiklee 6-3 6-2. It was the Thai's third straight defeat.

Lerpong Amsa-ngiam

 The Nation

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