The Nation ( October 4, 2005 )
Lerpong Amsa-ngiam

Napaporn to use prize money to buy father prosthetic leg. After eight years on a long and at times rocky road, a strong determination to succeed finally paid off for Napaporn Tongsalee when he became only the second Thai woman tennis player to win a US$50,000 (Bt2 million) event when she defeated Puerto Rican Kristina Brandi on Sunday in Kentucky.

The Thai added the 102nd ranked Brandi, the tournament’s No 2 seed, to her list of victims with a 6-4 2-6 6-4 win in the final of the Our Lady of Bellefonte Hospital Tennis Classic. Napaporn also collected the biggest prize of her career, a cheque for $7,315.

She upset American seventh-seed Lilia Osterloh and top seed Amy Frazier, ranked No 79 in the world, in the second round and semi-finals. She defeated four former and current top 100 players including Maureen Drake in round one and Brandi, former world No 27, en route to the final.

Only Thai No 1 Tamarine Tana-sugarn has bettered Napaporn by winning one WTA title in Hydera-bad, India, two years ago. The country’s No 2 women’s player, Suchanan Viratprasert, was a runner-up in a $50,000 event last year in China.

“I was so happy to win my first $50,000 title. It gave me a lot of confidence and from now on I have the self-belief that I can play with everyone,’’ Napaporn told her mother Nipa in a long distance phone call.

“I felt tired in the second set and I had a cramp in the third. So on match point I hit as hard as I could to her body and she returned it to the net. I pumped the fist of my cramped hand into the air after that point,’’ added Napaporn, who now rockets from a ranking of 302 last week to her career high at 229 this week.

But perhaps what has inspired Napaporn to play the best tennis of her career is her plan to buy a New Year’s gift – a new prosthetic leg for her father. Last year he lost his leg in a road accident during the Fed Cup tie between Thailand and Australia.

Officials did not tell her of her father’s accident until after the tie, fearing she may be distracted.

“She intends to buy him a new one by the end of the year. It’s very expensive, about Bt100,000. That’s why she is determined to win,’’ said her mother.

Nipa was overwhelmed by her daughter’s victory in the US.

“I’m so proud of my girl. I always supported her mentally and told her not to pay any attention to what others said,’’ said Nipa, a housewife.

While most local tennis players come from well-to-do families, that is not the case for the Tongsalee family. Her father is a musician in a hotel in Hat Yai.

Nipa and “Robbee”, as Napaporn is known to her friends and family, decided to leave Songkla province for Bangkok eight years ago in the hope that the move would benefit Napaporn’s tennis career.

The player’s mother said that at the time people looked down on her daughter, saying she was too old to turn pro. The big sponsors also turned their backs on her and instead supported younger players with better family backgrounds. Even though she made it into the national team five years ago, Napaporn still had to spend her own money buying her tennis outfits.

But her luck began to change when a rich man nicknamed “Pakin”, who prefers not to be identified, saw her play at the Piyarom Sports Club and was impressed by her attacking game. He offered to send her to play in overseas events three years ago.

During her first two years on the satellite tour, Napaporn had moderate results and peaked only at No 279 in the rankings in November, 2003, while her real goal was to make the top 200.

Between July and August this year she made her first trip to the US, but returned disappointed after failing to get beyond the first round in three tournaments.

While taking a break and trying to build up her mental strength, she asked an expert in psychology at Kasetsart University for advice, which paid big dividends.

Two weeks ago she was travelling alone without coach Wittaya Samrej due to a tight budget, but reached the quarter-finals and finished runner-up in the doubles with Indonesian Romana Tedjakusuma in a $75,000 event in New Mexico.

There is a Thai belief that good things always happen to a grateful child. If it is true, then a bright future is ahead for the gutsy Napaporn.