Happy and Sad

Yesterday I returned to Kobe early, which made me happy. My friend could help me change my airline ticket for no charge.

But I am sad because Tammy was not feeling well and couldn't play her best.

I was also happy to watch Kei Nishikori from Shimane play tennis, but I was sad that he lost to Reiner Schuttler, a veteran player from Germany.

My dad was happy to be trading Olympic pins, but sad that Tammy wanted to leave Beijing as soon as possible to return to Bangkok. He really enjoys trading pins!!!!!


Lastly, I am SO HAPPY to have many good friends. Some people were worried about the food in Beijing, so they gave me some coffee and Soy Joy to eat in China. It was a very kind and delicious present! (^_^)v

Hello from Rainy Beiking

I am having dinner at Nasca Cafe near my hotel, but the cafe's computer keyboard is broken and I can't type the letter that comes after "k"! Luckily the letter isn't used very much in English!

It was very rainy today. I had many troubles going to see my dad and Tammy. Worst of all, I didn't know food is not allowed into the stadium. I brought so many food presents for my dad. I had to give up a bottle of wasabi tako from Akashi but I snuck many other things in my big bag, like Morozoff cocoa peanuts.

The security is very strict. My shoulder is stiff from being stressed out. But I finally got in and I said hello to Ai Sugiyama and her mother and told them that everyone at the Portopia Hotel wishes her good luck. She is trailing Daniela Hantuchova 3-6, 2-3.

Tammy will play tomorrow if it is not too rainy.

Bye for now!

Next Volunteer Project

I am going to grow my hair long so that I can donate it to Locks of Love, a volunteer organization in Florida that makes wigs for children who have lost their hair.  

I'm lucky my hair grows quickly.  I wonder how long it will take to grow it to 12 inches (30cm)...

Labor of Love

This morning I washed and ironed my favorite yukata. It took a long time and it was very hot to be ironing.

This yukata was a going-away present from Dr. Takeda, one of my good friends in Gotsu City. Sadly, Dr. Takeda passed away in 1994. I always think of him when I wear his beautiful present. The pattern is by Kansai Yamamoto and it was handmade by Dr. Takeda's relatives in Ohda City.

Summer is Here!

Saturday I played tennis with the Portopia Tennis Circle. After tennis we went to Coco's and I ate shaved ice. To me, summer hasn't started until I have had shaved ice. So now my summer is officially here! It was DELICIOUS!

The Day My Life Changed

June 1, 2005 (I think!!!!) is when I met Mr. Nakauchi for the first time. I came to the Portopia Hotel as a JET Conference assistant and asked to introduce myself to him when I was checking out. Coincidentally, it was the day June Kim arrived to start her internship, too! He invited us to lunch at Shukeien--how kind! ^_^

The House That Ruth Built

Today I went to see the Yankees at Yankee Stadium. This is the final year that the Yankees will play in the old stadium. The new stadium is being built right next to it.

It was an exciting game! This is Derek Jeter hitting a double. He later scored when A Rod hit a single. Jason Giambi also hit a home run. I paid $23 to sit in the upper level seats--it was worth it!!!!!! ^_^

New York, New York

Isn't this a nice view? My friend moved to Queens in May and she has a wonderful apartment!

I really enjoyed my short visit to Cornell, too. It was beautiful, but a bit warm and humid!
Statues of Ezra Cornell and Andrew Dickson White, the two men who founded Cornell University in 1865. I studied Latin and other subjects in this building (Goldwin Smith Hall). There are some more photos here.

Greetings from Los Angeles!

This is the night view of downtown Los Angeles from Dodger Stadium. I went to the baseball game on Friday, but I went again on Saturday because I wanted to see Hiroki Kuroda pitch!

This is the City Hall of Los Angeles. Los Angeles' sister city is Nagoya.

Here is Kuroda on the pitcher's mound. He pitched well, but the Dodgers didn't hit so well. His pitches were almost 70% in the strike zone.

Later Takashi Saito came in to pitch. He threw 2 strikeouts, but he hurt his right arm and had to leave the game. The Dodgers lost 3-5 in 11 innings. They also lost on Friday night 1-3. I feel like a bad luck charm!

There are more photos here.

Happy Tanabata

On July 4, I took the ferry from Kobe to Kansai International Airport. The ferry was comfortable and it was a nice ride.

At Kansai International, JAL asked passengers to write a wish and decorate the tanabata display. They will take everyone's wishes and deliver them to Sendai for the Tanabata festival.

This is the princess I hope to see once a year! My niece is wearing a blouse I bought for myself in Japan, but the blouse was too small in the shoulders (I was too lazy to try it on). It's a nice dress for her! She LOVES it!

A Heroine's Welcome Home

I thought Tammy was coming to the US to play World Team Tennis, but it looks like she decided to go home to Bangkok to rest her arm.

There were many people at the airport to welcome her back after her success at Wimbledon.

Video courtesy of The Nation reporter Lerpong Amsangiam. Kob khun mahk ka!

Here is a translation of her comments in the video:

In the crowd--photographers are yelling, "Mom, please hug Tammy." "Smile, smile, smile!"
"Dad, please kiss Tammy's cheek!"

Dad: "Is it going to be on the front page?" My dad, the joker...
Tammy: "1, 2, 3" and both her mom and my dad give her a kiss on each cheek.
Tammy and her mom flash victory signs at the videographer--it's cute to hear giggles coming from behind the camera!

Interview
Q: Is this homecoming different from the others?
A: Yes. I want to thank the airport officials and staff for the extra special welcome home. I'm very happy to be home and I will sleep really well tonight because it will be the first time in two months that I can sleep in my own bed!

Q: Do you have any message for the fans in Thailand who followed your greatest success so far in your career (via live TV coverage)?
A: I want to thank everyone for cheering me on and sending your strength and encouragement to me in Wimbledon. I did my best but Venus was so strong. I hope to further improve myself and have continued good results.
Note to Kobe Portopia Hotel friends--I'm sure Tammy's message of thanks was for your cheering, too!!!!!!! Hontou ni arigatou gozaimashita!

Q: Earlier this year, you said you want to go to Beijing, but your name was not on the Olympic announcement list. What are your on-going goals?
A: It's OK that I didn't make the Olympics. It is a bit of a shame that I didn't improve my rank in time to make the cut, but I'm very happy with my Wimbledon results. I think it is better to focus my training on the US Open and have even better results there.

Q: For dad, as Tammy's first coach, how long have you been waiting for this moment?
A: Since she was five! I'm very proud of Tammy and her independence and ability to take care of herself (alone on tour). She also listens respectfully to the advice from elders and I think she deserves praise for that. Losing (to Venus) is a normal thing but I am most impressed with her mental toughness. It was amazing!

Q: For mom, how do you feel about Tammy right now? Were you following her progress?
A: (Tammy)--She was coaching me from home. Mom: Yes, I told her that her angled shots are very good and that she should make her opponents run until they are tired out and then they will lose. I am very proud of her.

Tammy: Thank you all very much for coming.

Tanasugarn Still Going Strong at 31

LONDON, England - In her seventh appearance in the fourth round at Wimbledon she became the first Thai woman to reach the quarterfinals of a Grand Slam event, and at 31-years-old Tamarine Tanasugarn proved it's never too late to give it your all.

At Wimbledon she beat players at least eight years her junior, including world No.2 Jelena Jankovic. Facing four-time champion Venus Williams in the quarterfinals, Tanasugarn, a Buddhist, took a philosophical approach to the match which she ultimately lost, 64 63.

"Previously I had always been very disappointed that I hadn't made it to the quarterfinals because I made it through to the fourth round so many years before," Tanasugarn said. "But this year it's the only year that I haven't really expected to go further, which means I can just concentrate on my game.

"I'm happy to be in the fourth round and now in the quarterfinals. So whatever round I'm in, I'm happy. I won't be disappointed if I lose because I'm happy with the way I'm playing."

'Tammy' turned professional in 1994 and since then she's had her ups and downs, making her way through the ITF circuit and on to the Tour, reaching her first Tour singles final at Pattaya City in 1996. She finished runner-up in a series of tournaments, including Birmingham in 2000 and Canberra and Doha in 2002 - debuting into the Top 20 that year - and finally breaking through to win her first Tour singles title in Hyderabad, India in 2003.

But she began to struggle in 2005 and reaching the quarterfinals at Birmingham was her best result that year. In her late 20s it was never going to be easy to up her game, especially having to return to the ITF Circuit after taking a steep drop down the rankings to No.125. At the age of 27 most players might have thrown in the towel, and even Tanusugarn thought she was close to doing so.

"During that time it was tough; I was thinking to stop and two years ago at Wimbledon I had to play in qualifying, so I would just go out there and have fun," said Tanasugarn. "But suddenly, after the qualies I was back in the third round again and I felt like I was starting over, and at this kind of age you really have to take care of yourself; your body, your mind, a lot of things. Now I've learnt to take care of my body more and see how I'm feeling."

Since 2006 her game has shown steady improvements, proving that it's never too late to learn and improve. As a finalist at Bangkok in 2006 and after winning a series of tournaments on the ITF Circuit, Tanasugarn's fruits of labour paid off this year, winning the Ordina Open in the Netherlands as a qualifier, beating recent Roland Garros runner-up Dinara Safina in the final, rising up the rankings once again from No.85 to No.60. After Wimbledon she'll be back in the Top 40.

Her efforts over the years have been inspiring for tennis players worldwide and in particular for the Asian tennis scene, which has also spurred Zheng Jie from China into the latter rounds here at Wimbledon after shocking world No.1 Ana Ivanovic in the third round.

But as Tanasugarn prepares for her life beyond tennis - she's planning on studying a Masters in business at Bangkok University - she knows the world is her oyster.

"I'm not sure what I'm going to do. But if I try to help and improve tennis in Thailand I will love to do that. Or I would like to do something (different from) tennis also because I've been a tennis player for many years, and now I want to do something different like a normal people also."

You Did So Well, Tammy!!!!!!

Venus Williams was too strong for Tammy, but the quarterfinal match was still a good one with many exciting rallies. In the end, Tammy lost 4-6, 3-6. Some of Venus' serves were 127 MPH/203 KPH!!!!!!

Monday, July 7 is an important day because that's when the Beijing Olympics Women's Singles draw will be announced. Will Tammy be invited to play? I hope so!!!!!!

Good job, Tammy!

That's My Lucky Clover Hair Pin!

Tammy cries tears of joy after beating Jelena Jankovic on Monday.

You did well, Tammy! We're all SO PROUD of you!!!!!!!!

"Wow, Wow, Wow!"

Tamarine has the wow factor
Monday, 30 June 2008
Written by Paul Kiernan

Picture the scene: It is your twelfth visit to SW19, and you’ve reached the fourth round seven times, but still haven’t joined the coveted last eight club. And then you walk onto Court 18, beat No.2 seed Jelena Jankovic in straight sets, and set up a quarter-final match with the defending champion, Venus Williams.

Well, that is exactly what Tamarine Tanasugarn did and when the 31-year-old was asked how she felt, only three words sprung to mind: “Wow, wow, wow”.

With Game, set, match, Miss Tanasugarn echoing around Court 18, the overjoyed underdog sank to her knees, tears of joy rolling down her cheeks. But it could have been a very different story as the world number 60 almost retired a few years ago.

“I was struggling… I dropped my rank to maybe below 140, 130 and I had injuries. It’s not easy to come back right away. I had a tough time, I was thinking to stop,” she recalled during her post-match press conference. But a successful Wimbledon back in 2006 kept her motivated: “I had to play qualifying so I just started playing for fun. Suddenly I just qualified and I was back in the third round.”

Tanasugarn couldn’t hide her delight at making the quarters, and not even the mention of a certain defending champion in the next round could wipe the broad smile of her face.

“I've played her so many times and she kicked my butt. I’m just happy to be in the quarter-finals. No pressure at all to me.”

To be precise, the contented Thai has met Venus six times and lost every time. But, as the saying goes, there is nothing more dangerous than someone who has nothing to lose. “I just go out there to have fun and do my best. I’m happy the way I am right now. If I win against her, then wow, wow, wow; great feelings. But I just go out there and do my best and play great tennis.”

As carefree as all this sounded, the modest woman from Thailand failed to mention the extraordinary few weeks she has enjoyed. Today was, in fact, Tanasugarn’s eleventh straight win on grass, after she doubled the singles Tour titles in her trophy cabinet by winning the Ordina Open in Holland just before the Championships began.

So, if the constancy and the punchy forehands continue to fly, then Venus could be brought back down to earth with a bang.

More from Wimbledon.org

Jankovic toppled by Tanasugarn
Monday, 30 June 2008
Written by Barry Newcombe

Second seed Jelena Jankovic was given a short, sharp shock as she was knocked out in the fourth round by unseeded Wimbledon veteran Tamarine Tanasugarn of Thailand.

With so many seeds falling by the wayside in the first week, Jankovic went on to court knowing that she would rarely have a better chance to break her Grand Slam title duck and in the process move to the top of the world rankings.

But those dreams were dashed by a woman who, despite being ranked just 60 in the world, has become a permanent fixture in Wimbledon's fourth round. Tanasugarn has reached this stage seven times in 11 years, but never before had she progressed any further.

For Jankovic, defeat was short - just 75 minutes - and painful. Two days ago she had struggled through her Centre Court match against the Danish teenager Caroline Wozniacki in three sets and had extensive treatment on her left knee. Today, on the crowded cockpit of Court 18, the Serbian came to the court with her knee strapped and she needed more treatment in the latter stages of the match.

But her injury did not seem to hamper her early on and it was only in the sixth game that she started to come under pressure.

Trailing 3-2, Jankovic saved two break points before Tanasugarn's counter-attack gave her a 4-2 lead when the Serb missed a forehand.

Tanasugarn kept the lead to run out the set in 36 minutes. As her forehand winner ended the set Jankovic slipped over behind the baseline.

Jankovic slipped further, too, on the scoreboard when she lost serve at the start of the second set and she called the trainer to the court at the first opportunity two games later for attention to her knee. A second trainer attended to Tanasugarn at the same time, treating a back injury.
But medical interventions over, the rhythm of the match remained unchanged. Jankovic dropped serve to fall 4-1 behind and broke Tanasugarn for the only time in the next game.

But an awesome forehand which landed right on the junction of the baseline and tramlines gave the Thai another break and the chance to serve for the match. She did so successfully and was in tears as she celebrated reaching her first quarter-final after trying every year since her debut in 1998.

Breaking News from Bangkok

Actually the news is from Wimbledon, but the newspaper is from Bangkok! (^_^)

Tamarine Reaches Grand Slam Quarterfinal

Tamarine Tanasugarn pinned a new chapter in the Thai history by becoming the first Thai to reach a Grand Slam quarter-final after she stunned world No 2 Jelena Jankovic of Serbia 6-3 6-2 in the Wimbledon fourth round on Monday. The Nation (English language newspaper in Thailand)

Fan Comments at Wimbledon.org

7 for 12!!!! Tammy into the Round of 16 Again ^_^

Tammy is very good at scaring me. I should be used to it by now, but I could feel my heart pounding in my chest last night as I watched her play against Marina Erakovic of New Zealand, who was actually born in Croatia. Erakovic has a very good serve, often acing Tammy with serves going at over 110 mph! Luckily for Tammy, Marina also served a lot of double faults, especially during important games in the final set.

This is Tammy's 12th senior Wimbledon (she was Junior Wimbledon Runner-up in 1995) and her 7th appearance in the Round of 16.

Thai fights back to beat Erakovic
Saturday, 28 June 2008 Written by Helen Gilbert

Tamarine Tanasugarn’s continued her winning streak on grass with a three-set victory over New Zealand’s Marina Erakovic in glorious sunshine, 4-6, 6-4, 6-4.

The 31-year-old, who has reached the fourth round of Wimbledon for the seventh time in her career, captured her first grass court title at s’-Hertogenbosch earlier this year and there seems to be no stopping her.

Admittedly, the win was by no means easy – both women pounded balls from the back of the court and hit the lines so much it was a wonder there was any chalk left by the end of the contest.

After trading breaks in the opening set, it was the Thai who raced to a 4-1 lead. But 20-year-old Erakovic upped her game a gear, serving well and clawing back the next five games to steal the set 6-4 in front of a full Court 11.

It was perhaps not surprising. Like Tanasugarn, Erakovic has had an impressive run on grass this year – winning her first singles title at Surbiton a few weeks ago and a WTA tour doubles trophy at s’-Hertogenbosch. In fact, she has won an astonishing 37 matches on the green stuff, and lost only five on the surface.

But her older opponent was undeterred, standing her ground at the back of the court and occasionally venturing into the net. The combination worked and she scraped the second 6-4 to level the match.

Powerful but precision hitting continued in the third but it was the experienced Tanasugarn who stole the match in a whisker over two hours thanks to a lower unforced error count – 14 compared with Erakovic’s 29.

Way to Go, Tammy!!!!!!! ^_^

Tanasugarn topples Zvonareva
Thursday, 26 June 2008

Written by Ian Baker at wimbledon.org

A thunderous backhand from Tamarine Tanasugarn as she piles on the pressure against Vera Zvonareva on day 4 of the championships

Thailand’s Tamarine Tanasugarn battling against the 13th seed Vera Zvonareva for a place in the third round.

The evergreen Tamarine Tanasugarn shocked 13th seed Vera Zvonareva to progress to the third round. Tanasugarn, in the form of her life, won the marathon match 7-6 (12-10), 4-6, 6-3, despite a hamstring injury picked up during the second set.

The Thai’s win was her ninth consecutive on grass, in a run that included winning the Ordina Open in Holland last week. Tanasugarn was a finalist in the Wimbledon Junior tournament in 1995 and has been a consistent performer at the All England Club ever since, reaching the fourth round six times.

She started the game well, breaking Zvonareva’s powerful serve in the first game of the match. She broke again to take a 4-1 first set lead, thanks to some excellent forehand winners. But the Russian, a winner in the ladies’ doubles in 2006 with Nathalie Dechy, hit back to force the set into a tie-break. The tie-break went one way and then the other as both players played tremendous tennis. Tanasugarn eventually took it 12-10.

The Thai started the second set just as she did the first. The world No. 60 went 3-0 up but once again Zvonareva hit back. After levelling the set at 3-3, Zvonareva broke again in a lengthy seventh game. The second set saw a drop in quality as both players struggled with their game, not helped by the heat and the gruelling nature of the match. Tanasugarn called for the trainer for treatment on a hamstring injury but was able to continue with heavy strapping.

Zvonareva closed out the set 6-4 but once again Tanasugarn came roaring back, taking a 3-0 lead at the start of the final set. The game became tenser but the experienced 31-year-old Tanasugarn kept her composure better than her opponent, eight years her junior, to win the match in just over two and a half hours.

---

June 22, 2008

Tennis Roundup

Tanasugarn Wins Title on Grass

By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

The qualifier Tamarine Tanasugarn defeated third-seeded Dinara Safina, 7-5, 6-3, to win her first grass-court title, the Ordina Open on Saturday in Den Bosch, the Netherlands.

Playing with a bandaged thigh, Tanasugarn, of Thailand, clinched the victory with a powerful forehand winner.

Safina, the 2006 runner-up in Den Bosch and a semifinalist last year, said Tanasugarn was the better player.

“She has a lot of experience and she played well today,” said Safina, who was a finalist at the French Open this month.

Later, top-seeded David Ferrer became the first Spaniard to win the Ordina title, defeating Marc Gicquel, 6-4, 6-2.

Bonny's Photos

My friend Bonny is from the Netherlands. She lives two hours away from Rosmalen, the city where Tammy won the tennis tournament. Bonny is a great friend because she went to watch Tammy play there many times!!!!!! Thank you for being a good cheerleader and photographer, Bonny!
Tammy getting her champion's trophy at the Ordina Open on Saturday.


I love seeing her winning smile! v (^o^) v

Tammy gave her bouquet to Bonny as a thank you gift. Here is Bonny's dog, Coco! Coco is from Los Angeles, like me! ^_~


Tammy's doubles partner Andrea is very kind and Tammy's good friend. Andrea told Tammy not to play doubles, even though they were in the semifinals. She was worried about Tammy's arm injury. Last summer, they were teammates on the Springfield Lasers, the World Team Tennis runners up. Tammy was last season's Most Valuable Player.

Sunday Morning Breakfast

Last month, the Vice President of Cornell University visited Kyoto with his wife. They were kind enough to bring me some pancake mix and maple syrup as a gift. Saturday night one of my friends came to stay. We found some English muffins at Daiei, which gave me the idea to try to make my own version of Egg McMuffins for breakfast on Sunday.














I also made pancakes with a special topping--cooked apples in butter, cinnamon and sugar. I got a little too busy talking and the bottom of the apples turned into caramel, but it was very delicious!!!!!

I don't have an egg ring to make poached eggs with, but I used a metal ladle and a pot of boiling water--surprisingly, it worked!!!!!!! I made scrambled eggs for my egg muffin sandwich.

What do you think? Better than McDonald's? Please stop by Cafe Kobe Rose sometime and try for yourself!!!!!! (^-^)v

Congratulations, Tammy!!!!! You're the 2008 Ordina Open Champion!!!!!!!!!

© Vincent Basler
Tanasugarn Beats Safina for Second Career Title

's-HERTOGENBOSCH, The Netherlands - Going into the final of the Ordina Open, the stars certainly seemed lined up for Dinara Safina to win. She had won 15 of her last 16 matches, spent less than half the time on the court than her opponent during the week and won their only previous meeting handily. But on the day that prophecy was emphatically proven false, as Tamarine Tanasugarn beat her in straight sets to capture the key Wimbledon warm-up title.

As a qualifier facing the No.3 seed, Tanasugarn already seemed to be coming from behind. And when Safina snagged the first break of the match in the ninth game for a chance to serve the first set out at 5-4, things didn't look great for the Thai. But she broke right back and won 10 of the last 12 points of the set to take it, 7-5. The second set remained largely on serve, but Tanasugarn got the critical break in the seventh game and after surviving a lengthy 16-point service game - in which Safina had five points to get the set back on serve - David finally overcame Goliath, 75 63.

"Maybe it was more difficult for Dinara, as she was seeded and playing really well lately, and I was coming out of the qualies; that could have put some pressure on her today," Tanasugarn said. "After she had the chance to serve out the first set I think her level fell a bit, and once I got to the second set I felt great, and that I could really win this match."

Tanasugarn had arguably the best week of career, coming away with her second and biggest Sony Ericsson WTA Tour singles title at the Tier III event. She notched straight set wins over both Bondarenko sisters (new Birmingham champion Kateryna in the first round and No.8 seed Alona in the semifinals) and three set wins over Ashley Harkleroad, Krajicek and Safina. She was even almost down and out against Harkleroad in the second round, rallying from 5-3 down in the third to win, 46 64 75.

Tanasugarn was definitely not intimidated by Safina's No.9 ranking. After all she had four Top 10 wins to her name going into the final and two of those came in the minute grass court season in 2001, over Nathalie Tauziat and Amélie Mauresmo. This surface also fuels the Thai veteran's best attribute - her flat, compact groundstokes - and she has capitalized on that in the past, reaching one of her other six career finals at Birmingham in 2000 (falling to Lisa Raymond) and making the fourth round of Wimbledon an impressive six times (in fact, her love for grass is no more evident than in her Grand Slam record: 23-11 at Wimbledon, 28-32 at the other three majors combined).

After barely batting .500 to start the season (she was 11-10 coming out of Charleston), Safina has now won 15 of her last 17 matches, winning her first Tier I singles title on the red clay of Berlin, reaching her first Grand Slam singles final at Roland Garros (falling to Ana Ivanovic in the final) and now reaching another final at 's-Hertogenbosch. She is now 0-2 lifetime in grass court finals, having finished runner-up right here at 's-Hertogenbosch two years ago (finishing runner-up to Michaella Krajicek).

"I just have to forget my match today because I played some pretty good matches earlier this week and today was just not my day," Safina said. "I want to give lots of credit to Tamarine, I think she played a solid match - but I want to forget this match as soon as I can. I'm leaving for London today, I'll have today and tomorrow off and then Wimbledon starts. So I will have to get ready for that as soon as I can."

Safina was one of three Top 10 Russians in the field this week. She took out one of the other ones, No.1 seed Elena Dementieva, herself in the semifinals; No.2 seed Anna Chakvetadze, who was the defending champion, lost to Alona Bondarenko in the quarterfinals.