Thai curries home favour with Wimbledon performance

London - Tamarine Tanasugarn heads home to Thailand satisfied after an unexpected fight into the quarter-finals of the Wimbledon Championships.

The 31-year-old's run was stopped 6-4, 6-3 on Tuesday by defending champion Venus Williams. But Tanasugarn takes satisfaction that she and China's Zheng Jie - a winner into the semi-finals - have give Asia some more success on the grass.

"I'd love to stay, but it's been almost two months that I've been away," said the first Thai woman ever to reach a Grand Slam singles quarter-final.

The wildcard said her match with Williams was aired live on Thai terrestrial television for national viewing.

"Today's match was on the local TV. I'm happy and everybody could see me, support me."                  Two years ago, the Los Angeles-born Tanasugarn faced the possibly the end of her career, with a falling ranking which required her to qualify into Wimbledon.

But her 2008 performance on the grass may do as much for tennis as the rise of the now-injured Paradorn Srichaphan did on the men's side of the game earlier in the century.

"Maybe 15 years ago I don't think they (Thais) really knew about tennis professionals, we don't really know about a lot of tennis. Thais are good with kickboxing, our national sport," said the trailblazer.

"It feels great to be back on track again. I was struggling the last two years. In 2006 at Wimbledon I was thinking I didn't play well, I thought I might have to stop my career.

"But I'm still here, still enjoying tennis."

Tanasugarn and Jie are the second and third Asians to go this far after Li Na reached the last eight at 2006 Wimbledon.

 "This shows Asian ability to prove to ourselves that we can do well," said Tanasugarn. "I hope foundations or government improves or supports tennis in our region."//dpa