Thai tennis ace Mananchaya Sawangkaew bested Filipino bet Tenny Madis, 6-4, 6-0, on Monday in first-round action at the WTA 125 Philippine Women’s Open.
Madis, the No. 2 player in the Philippines behind Alex Eala, actually started off strong, racing to a 2-0 lead, only to surrender it to Sawangkaew just as quickly. The two were still tied at 4-4 when the Thai SEA Games silver medalist began imposing her will completely.
Sawangkaew won the next two games to seal the first-set win before racing out to a 6-0 victory in the second set to secure safe passage to the next round.
Sawangkaew Compliments Madis
After the match, the Thai ace showed Madis some love, noting how “she played much better” and will “be a good player in the future.”
“First, I’d like to say that this time she played much better and she improved a lot,” Sawangkaew told Dyan Castillejo in the post-match interview immediately after the Thai’s big win. “She’s gonna be a good player in the future, so keep going.”
Sawangkaew would know. She got a firsthand look at the 18-year-old Filipina at the Southeast Asian Games in Thailand last December. Madis was part of the women’s team that lost to Thailand in the semis of the team event to ultimately finish with the bronze.
Sawangkaew Gives Love to Fans
Madis, though, wasn’t the only one Sawangkaew showed love to post-match. She also gave a special shout-out to the crowd that came to watch her and Madis play.
“I’m happy for all the support here. Beautiful crowd, so thank you for [coming] to support us and support everyone in this tournament. I’m very happy with the result today,” she said.
Filipino tennis fans, of course, have recently been called out somewhat for what some are saying is a failure to observe tennis etiquette. On Monday, though, Filipino tennis fans showed they can elevate tennis matches with their passionate presence.
The SEA Games silver medalist ended her interview with Castillejo by addressing the crowd directly: “You guys make this tournament more beautiful and make it very [enjoyable] to play here. When I look at the crowd, I say it’s gonna be fun in this tournament.”
What’s more, Sawangkaew isn’t done yet. And with the love she showed the fans, it’s likely she can expect more of their support moving forward.
