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As she watched her forehand shot sail past Syracuse’s Viktoriya Kanapatskaya, Oklahoma State’s Bunyawi Thamchaiwat yelled “Let’s go!” After falling behind 0-4 in the third set, Thamchaiwat had just won seven of the last eight games to steal an upset victory over the SU freshman. 

No. 26 Thamchaiwat defeated No. 11 Kanapatskaya 3-6, 6-3, 7-5 in the Round of 64 of the 2021 Women’s NCAA Division I Singles Championships at the USTA National Campus in Orlando, Florida. Thamchaiwat advanced to the Round of 32, where she will face Wake Forest’s No. 54 Anna Campana. 

Thamchaiwat saw many of her shots sail wide or hit the wrong side of the net throughout the match, but her dominant forehand enabled her to overcome the unforced errors. Crosscourt and down-the-line winners ultimately proved decisive in points across all three sets, propelling Thamchaiwat to victory.  

Kanapatskaya tried to control rallies from the baseline. Her approach to winning points was utilizing her forehand to go on the offensive and using backhand slices to neutralize rallies when on the defensive. 

Early on, she succeeded in doing so. Kanapatskaya took control early in the first set, taking a 3-0 lead. Thamchaiwat fought back to make it 3-2, but Kanapatskaya’s baseline control and forehand winners helped her win three of the next four games to take the first set, 6-3.

To combat Kanapatskaya’s strategy, Thamchaiwat used combinations of crosscourt forehands and drop shots, forcing the Syracuse freshman to move all around the court. This worked for the Oklahoma State junior, as Thamchaiwat set the pace in the second set. After only winning one service game in the first set, Thamchaiwat won all four in the second. Although Kanapatskaya was able to keep up with Thamchaiwat for a handful of games, Thamchaiwat broke away by taking the next two games, winning 6-3. 

Kanapatskaya recollected herself for the third set, springing out to a 4-0 lead. Thamchaiwat stayed composed and stormed back to win five straight games. Kanapatskaya was able to hold serve in the next game and tie the score at 5-5, but Thamchaiwat went on to win the next two straight games to complete the comeback, 7-5, and steal the match victory.

After an impressive freshman season for the Orange, Kanapatskaya ends the year with a 10-5 overall singles record. She earned All-Atlantic Coast Conference Women’s First Team, as well as player of the week and freshman of the week honors throughout the 2021 season.

Published on May 23, 2021 at 10:06 pm

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