Tanasugarn bows out in big tennis reversal

BUSAN, South Korea — Thai tennis star Tamarine Tanasugarn suffered an upset defeat at the Asian Games here Friday as the boxing tournament’s judges again hit the headlines.

Top-seed Tamarine was favored to succeed where she failed four years ago in her women’s singles final against Uzbekistan’s Iroda Tulyaganova but succumbed in straight sets 6-1, 6-3.

The world No. 27 couldn’t get to grips with her game and was unable to hold her own serve until the fifth game of the second set, losing in 69 minutes.

"Iroda was playing so well," Tamarine said. "Her shots were more aggressive. She played well on the big points. She served unbelievable. She deserved it."

Tulyaganova, ranked four places below Tamarine on the WTA Tour, won her first title since last year’s WTA event in Vienna.

"It’s one of my best victories," Tulyaganova said. "I was playing for my country, not just myself, and I’m glad I could make all those people happy.

"I think I will wake up some people. It’s something big for my country that we have a gold medal."

While there was defeat for Tamarine there were no such problems for compatriot and favorite in the men’s singles Paradorn Srichaphan.

The world No.28 breezed into a Saturday final against South Korea’s Lee Hyung-Taik with a 6-3, 6-3 win over Uzbekistan’s Oleg Ogorodov.

In the men’s doubles final, Mahesh Bhupathi and Leander Paes earned India’s 10th gold of the games, downing South Korea’s Lee Hyung-Taik and Chung Hee-Seok, 6-2, 6-3.

A total of 19 gold medals were to be settled on Friday, in sports including women’s football and hockey as well as karatedo and taekwondo.

The boxing tournament meanwhile, continued to embrace controversy as it moved into the semifinal stages.

The competition has been bedevilled by claims of biased officiating, and International Amateur Boxing Federation supremo Anwar Chowdhry for the first time acknowledged the problem.

Chowdhry labelled a decision made in Wednesday’s heavyweight quarter-finals a ‘disgrace’ and said he planned to ban the judges responsible for four years.

Jordanian heavyweight Yousef Hasan slumped to the canvas crying after he was ruled to have lost a 91kg bout against South Korean Lee Hyun-Song by three points on Wednesday. he 23-year-old from Amman walked sobbing back to the locker room. - (AFP)