Yahoo! Singapore Sports, June 27, 2024
Thailand's Paradorn Srichaphan scored a 6-4, 6-4, 6-2 win over 17-year-old Spaniard Rafael Nadal to reach the last 16 at Wimbledon for the first time.
Paradorn won in 1hr 50min Friday as the 24-year-old moved through to the fourth round of a Grand Slam for the first time in his career.
He now faces US fifth seed Andy Roddick, who saw off another Spaniard in Tommy Robredo in straight sets.
Paradorn, seeded 12, and Roddick are 1-1 in head-to-heads with the Thai winning a quarter-final at the Paris Masters Series last November and the Nebraskan taking a match in Washington on hardcourt two years ago.
Paradorn's father and coach, Chanachai, watching courtside on a packed court one, ecstatically waved a Thai flag at the finish as his son moved through, Nadal barely connecting with a barreling serve at the death.
Asian number one Paradorn, who survived two match points in his previous match against Olivier Mutis of France as he recovered from two sets down to win for the first time in his career, ensured this time he never gave the whiff of a chance to Wimbledon debutant Nadal.
The 17-year-old Mallorcan, playing his first ever senior grasscourt tournament, was bidding to become the youngest player since Bjorn Borg in 1973 to reach the last 16 here in the Open Era, or when professionals were allowed to play in the late 60's.
But he dropped serve in the opening game as the nerves appeared and before he knew it the Spaniard, who has seen off former French Open champions Albert Costa and Carlos Moya on clay this year but who missed Roland Garros himself with an elbow injury, was 1-4 down.
He dug in admirably, shrugging off a second break of serve against him by taking Paradorn's serve in the sixth game for a rebreak, the Thai serving up a double fault having taken his opening two service games to love.
After 37 minutes Paradorn strode a set clear as Nadal netted a forehand.
The second set progressed very differently, Nadal opening up this time by holding to love - and then breaking for a 4-2 lead, Paradorn netting.
But the Spanish fight back receded immediately as he dropped serve in the following game, hitting long and wide after a brutal rally as Paradorn powered down a barrage of forehand winners from the back court.
For a Spanish claycourter, Nadal was not afraid to storm the net - but the weight of his shot was all too rarely proving the equal of his rival's and a volley at the net completed a run of four straight games for Paradorn.
At two sets to love down left-hander Nadal's will was all but broken and he conceded serve in the fifth game as Paradorn, having missed a slew of chances, snapped up a fifth break of the youngster's service on his 14th opportunity across the match.
Paradorn, who dumped out Andre Agassi in the second round last year but then lost to Dutchman Richard Krajicek, raced to the finish line by breaking again for 5-2 and then served out with aplomb.
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