Heather Watson shocks Yulia Putintseva to win at Thailand Open
Heather Watson defeats world No 44 Yulia Putintseva in three sets at the Thailand Open; British No 6 last beat a top-50 opponent at the Miami Open in March; Na-Lae Han of South Korea up next for Watson
Tuesday 31 January 2023 16:23, UK
Heather Watson held her nerve to score a notable win over world No 44 Yulia Putintseva in the first round of the Thailand Open in Hua Hin.
The British number six fought back from a set down to beat her awkward Kazakh opponent 5-7 6-4 7-6 (5) in a match lasting exactly three hours.
In a topsy-turvy encounter featuring 14 breaks of serve, Watson almost saw a 5-1 lead evaporate in the second set before rallying to force the decider.
She twice went a break up in the third set but finally managed to edge over the line after Putintseva hit back to force the decisive tie-break.
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"I feel like I'm in a really good place this week," she said. "When I'm really happy with the environment I'm in I usually get good results.
"I remember playing the tournament in Acapulco, I had a similar feeling. It was such a beautiful resort and I ended up winning the tournament so, hopefully, it gives me good vibes this week as well.
"It's has been so far, I'm just here with my mum, but we've been really experiencing Hua Hin, going to the night markets, eating the food.
"And we've also been working really hard on court as well doing a lot of extra practices. So I feel like my level was already there, so I felt confident for [the match]."
Watson will meet Na-Lae Han of South Korea in the next round for a chance to play either Xinyu Wang or Mirjam Bjorklund in the quarter-finals.
The 30-year-old entered on the back of Australian Open disappointment after she was beaten in the first round of qualifying by Aliona Bolsova.
Victory over Putintseva marks her first against a top-50 opponent since the Miami Open last March, where she beat 15th seed Elina Svitolina before falling to Belinda Bencic in the third round.
There was no such luck for Watson's compatriot Heather Dart, who was beaten 6-3 6-4 by former US Open winner Bianca Andreescu.
