ITF W75s, Nonthaburi, Thailand, Jan 2025

[jayakris]

Since Sahaja, Vaidehi and Prarthana are there for the two W75s in Nonthaburi, Thailand, let us start a tournament thread. Can extend this later for further Thailand events in March etc, too, if needed.

Sahaja has made the main draw as the last direct entry for this coming week (Dec 30th) Nonthaburi W75, and Vaidehi is in the qualifying draw. Prarthana is playing doubles with Alicia Barnett (GBR). Not sure if Sahaja and Vaidehi are planning to sign in for doubles there.

Main draw matches start on Tuesday. Draws are still awaited. The Qualifying draw just came out. Two rounds for 8 main draw spots.

[Q1] (11) Vaidehi Chaudhari (IND,397) vs Kira Pavlova (RUS,419), Monday

[Omkara]

Why two threads for Nothanburi tournaments? Put it in all together

[Atithee]

Why two threads for Nothanburi tournaments? Put it in all together

That’s what prompted my question when I suggested to open a 2025 thread for outside India tournaments, which has been opened. I didn’t quite understand Jay’s response about how to handle if both men and women tournaments being held together, but didn’t inquire further.

[Dinesh]

[Q1] (11) Vaidehi Chaudhari (UTR 11.16) vs Kira Pavlova (10.85) - should be a winnable match

[jayakris]

Why two threads for Nothanburi tournaments? Put it in all together

That’s what prompted my question when I suggested to open a 2025 thread for outside India tournaments, which has been opened. I didn’t quite understand Jay’s response about how to handle if both men and women tournaments being held together, but didn’t inquire further.

What I was saying was that this was a rare instance when a women's ITF event is there at the same venue as a men's ATP challenger. We needed an Asian ATP challengers thread anyway (like in earlier years, as all of you pointed out in the Karan thread). So, I created that thread and put the men's event there. I didn't want to pull just the Nonthaburi men's challenger out of that 2025 Asian Challengers thread into a combined thread. There is really no overlap of discussion between the women's event and men's event either.

The discussion items are all totally independent, and even reporting scores need to be done by checking different websites, entry lists and all that, so combining the score and other info reporting is also not easier (and actually tougher) for us reporters Sameer and I. That is all why I felt it was better to keep them separate.

[sameerph]

Vaidehi starts with a win.

[Q1] (11) Vaidehi Chaudhari (IND,397) d. Kira Pavlova (RUS,419) 76(3) 63

Watched most of the match. Vaidehi was slightly more inconsistent than usual but raised her game when it mattered in the first set tie break and than when she was down a break 2-3 in the second set. She won the last 4 games in a trot.

Next,

[Q2] (11) Vaidehi Chaudhari (IND,397) vs. Ikumi Yamazaki (JPN,490)

Yamazaki replaced 5th seed as alternate in the qualifying draw.

[jayakris]

Yamazaki replaced 5th seed as alternate in the qualifying draw.

That is a nice break for Vaidehi, as would have been #335 Tkacheva as the 5th seed (who was next-in, and made the main draw before the Q matches started, on a withdrawal).

Sahaja got a wildcard in the first round, though it is a talented 17 year old (Top-40 junior next week). So Sahaja needs to take her seriously.

[R1] Sahaja Yamalapalli (IND,352) vs (WC) Kamonwan Yodpetch (THA,1325)

[Dinesh]

[Q2] (11) Vaidehi Chaudhari (IND,11.17) vs. Ikumi Yamazaki (JPN,10.67)

Easiest opponent you could expect to face for a place in the MD of a tough W75 event. Hope Vaidehi takes advantage of it.

[jayakris]

Sahaja is also playing doubles this week.

[R1] (4) Alicia Barnett (GBR)/ Prarthana G Thombare (IND) vs Saki Imamura (JPN)/ Naho Sato (JPN), Tuesday evening
[R1] Darya Astakhova (RUS)/ Sahaja Yamalapalli (IND) vs Ines Ibbou (ALG)/ Naima Karamoko (SUI), Tuesday evening

Vaidehi is not playing doubles this week. Probably because she has to play singles qualifying matches this week and next Sunday/Monday also.

Vaidehi's Q2 match against Yamazaki is at 10 am (8:30 am IST) today. There will be ITF's live stream link at this match page

[jayakris]

And Vaidehi has qualified into the main draw!

[Q2] (11) Vaidehi Chaudhari (IND,397) d. Ikumi Yamazaki (JPN,492), 75 26 75

Tremendous last ditch effort by Vaidehi. She was down 2-4 in the third set and evened it to 4-4. Then she was down 4-5 and 0-40 on her serve. She saved 4 match points there, held to 5-5, broke Yamasaki and served it off!! Three points she played to save MPs and get to deuce at 4-5 were something to see. Pure aggression punctuated by a forehand down the line screamer after making the Japanese run left and right (and she was hitting her shots too). After that Yamazaki was clearly deflated, and Vaidehi took care of business in the final two games.

[sameerph]

Yes, she was so aggressive on those match points, I think there was a second serve ace too on the first match points. Just went for broke there. Actually if Vaidehi would have played like that all the time, she would have won the match in easier manner. But, I can definitely say that Vaidehi is unlike other Indian players in terms of nerves on big points, she is so good at closing out matches and getting back from dead situations.

[jayakris]

Yes, there was a second serve ace there too.

[jayakris]

Vaidehi got a not-so-bad matchup in the first round.

[R1] (11) Vaidehi Chaudhari (IND,397) vs Jia-Jing Lu (CHN,275)

VC had beaten 35 year old Jia-Jing very easily, 62 61, a few weeks ago in Caloundra, Australia. Hope she can repeat it.

Meanwhile, today was not a good day in doubles for our ladies.

[R1] (4) Alicia Barnett (GBR)/ Prarthana G Thombare (IND) l. Saki Imamura (JPN)/ Naho Sato (JPN), 46 26
[R1] Darya Astakhova (RUS)/ Sahaja Yamalapalli (IND) l. Ines Ibbou (ALG)/ Naima Karamoko (SUI), 36 36

[sameerph]

Vaidehi got a not-so-bad matchup in the first round.

[R1] (11) Vaidehi Chaudhari (IND,397) vs Jia-Jing Lu (CHN,275)

VC had beaten 35 year old Jia-Jing very easily, 62 61, a few weeks ago in Caloundra, Australia. Hope she can repeat it.

Vaidehi had lost to the same Chinese players only a week before in straight sets but turned tabled immediately the week after. Before that in 2022-2023, also these 2 had played 2 matches and it was 1-1. So, overall it looks very close between these 2 players.

Sahaja will also have a tough match against a good junior player who is playing at home.

[jayakris]

At the ITF W75 in Nonthaburi, Thailand (Hard):

[R1] Sahaja Yamalapalli (IND,352) d. (WC) Kamonwan Yodpetch (THA,1325), 63 64
[R1] (11) Vaidehi Chaudhari (IND,397) l. Jia-Jing Lu (CHN,275), 63 46 26

Vaidehi played quite well but Jia-Jing started playing better in the second set and VC became a bit error-prone as the match wore on. Maybe she started getting a bit tired too? Not sure...

As for Sahaja's match, she had a streaky start with 0-40 BPs in the first game on Yodpetch's serve. She proceeded to lose 10 points in a row (not sure what happened, as the live stream was down then) and was quickly down a break at 0-3... But she won 7 games in a row from there. Yodpetch showed her talent (she is a top-50 junior) and was not missing much early on, but she could not keep that up, as Sahaja settled down and got the shot range adjusted. There was good depth in her shot and there was some nice exchanges that she won, including a 17 shot rally at one point. She was up 4-2 in the second set but gave a break back with a loose game. Then she messed up two BPs in the 8th game, and KY evened it at 4-4. Sahaja raised her level a bit in the final 2 games, as KY started arguing line calls and lost her focus. Sahaja closed it out with a break.

In the second round,

[R2] Sahaja Yamalapalli (IND,352) vs (3) Han Shi (CHN,214)

This will be a tough match. I know Han Shi got upset by Shrivalli back in Daegu last June but the 19 year old won a W50 right the next week, has later won a W35 also in China, and has been playing very well. She is at a career high ranking now and just took out Anna Rogers (USA,309) by a 64 60 score today. So she is in good form, and Sahaja will have to bring her best to pull an upset over her.

[By the way, I was there court-side in Daegu, Korea, cheering Shrivalli when she upset Han Shi, then ranked #361. Unfortunately, I am not there in Nonthaburi to cheer Sahaja, so she does not have the massive advantage Shrivalli had, with the best cheer-leader of Indian tennis around ]