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Sugiyama wins all-Asian battle for quarters spot
Ai Sugiyama won the battle to become the first Asian woman to reach the Wimbledon quarterfinals in seven years.
Ai Sugiyama won the battle to become the first Asian woman to reach the Wimbledon quarterfinals in seven years with a straight sets victory over Tamarine Tanasugarn in their fourth round tie on Monday.
Japan's Sugiyama, the 11th seed and world number 12, took an hour and 40 minutes to beat her Thai opponent 6-3, 7-5 and keep a 3-0 unbeaten record against Tanasugarn.
The victory makes her the first Asian quarter-finalist since Yayuk Basuki of Indonesia reached the final eight in 1997.
"I'm just sad we had to play against each other, but that's the way it is," Tamarine said.
"Actually she played very well today, she managed her game very well."
In 1996, Sugiyama's compatriot Kimiko Date reached the semi-finals, becoming the first Asian woman in the Open era to advance that far at the Championships.
Tamarine, who admitted feeling tired after a marathon doubles match on Sunday in which she and Wynne Prakusya lost to Maria Vento-Kabchi and Angelique Widjaja 14-16 in the third set, regretted her missed chances against Sugiyama.
"She played well (at the right time) and I had opportunities and I didn't take them," Tamarine said.
Tamarine started well, overcoming a Sugiyama ace on the very first point of the match to break her Japanese opponent's serve.
Sugiyama replied immediately with a break of her own in the following game and then another to go up 5-3 before serving out the set.
The Thai put up more of a fight in the second set, which lasted 63 minutes, again claiming the first break of serve in the fourth game.
It looked to be in vain when Sugiyama broke back straight away but Tamarine held her nerve to effect another break of serve.
But it was to be her last as Sugiyama took control of the match, winning with a volley that Tamarine failed to return.
Despite having made the fourth round six times in the past seven years, Tamarine said the quarter-finals had not proved to be a mental stumbling block in 2004.
"Every year I was getting nervous and saying, 'come on, quarter-finals,'" she said.
"But this year I was just trying to play my games, play my strokes one at a time, that's helped me a lot."
Sugiyama next meets Russian Maria Sharapova, who beat American Amy Frazier 6-4, 7-5.
