Poonin Kobapitukted and Luksika Khumkum (Thailand) have won the doubles title at the NH Bank International Women’s Tennis Tour 2023 (Nonghyup Challenger). The pair overcame the double whammy of rain and traffic to claim the title in South Korea.
Kobapitukted-Kumkum defeated Guo Hanyu-Tang Qianhui (China) 6-3 1-6 [10-6] in a match tiebreaker in the ITF Nonghyup Challenger (W25K) doubles final at Konkuk University Tennis Centre in Icheon, Gyeonggi Province, on 27 July.
The biggest variable of the day was the rain. On the 27th, it rained all day across the Seoul metropolitan area. There were no indoor courts at Nonghyup University’s Olwon Tennis Court in Goyang City, where the tournament was held, and indoor tennis venues around Goyang City were unavailable due to scheduled events.먹튀검증
In the end, the indoor court was booked at Konkuk University in Icheon, Gyeonggi Province, about 90 kilometres from Goyang City. Normally, it would have taken about an hour and 40 minutes to get there, but the 27th was the start of the Buddha Day holiday. To make matters worse, it was raining and it took over three hours to get to KU’s indoor court.
Due to the long journey and waiting time, the players struggled to maintain their physical condition, with China’s Guo Hanyu having the most difficulty. Having lost in the singles quarter-finals earlier in the day, Guo Hanyu struggled throughout the doubles final.
The two teams split the first and second sets, but in the match tiebreaker, Kovapitukted-Kumkum took an early lead to claim the ITF Nonghyup Challenger title.
In the singles, Korean-Americans Hannah Chang (USA, World No. 349) and Manachaya Sawangkaew (Thailand, World No. 392) reached the final. Zhang defeated Liu Fangzhou (China, World No. 714) 6-4 6-3, while Sawangkaew defeated Guo Hanyu (China, World No. 667) 6-2 6-4.
Zhang Hanna had been involved in three-set matches from the first round to the quarter-finals, but this time it was different. She was aggressive from the start, taking control of rallies and cruising to an easy win. “I don’t have any physical problems,” she said, showing a strong will to win the Nonghyup Challenger title.
Sawangkanu complained of some nausea at the beginning of the first set, but it didn’t affect her performance. After defeating second seeded Lizette Cabrera (AUS) the day before, she also upset Guo Hanyu, who had been in top form throughout the tournament. Guo Hanyu’s bid for a second consecutive inner core title came to an end on the 27th.
The final of the Nonghyup Challenger 2023 will be held at Nonghyup University’s Olwon Tennis Court from 2pm on the 28th. However, if rain continues on the 28th, the event will be moved to the indoor courts of the Incheon Yeolwumul Stadium Tennis Centre after 6pm.