Spaniard knocks out Japan's Ito at Thailand Open
The Spanish base-liner had to summon up his A game to stop the inspired Japanese, ranked world No 73, and clinch the first-round match 3-6 6-0 6-2 after two hours and three minutes.
"It's always difficult to play someone you have never seen before. He was serving unbelievably, moving well, hitting good forehands and backhands and changing the direction of the ball easily in the first set. I was surprised. But after that I knew I had to play 100 per cent to come back and win. In the end I played better and was physically better,'' said the lefthander, who fell in love with Thai boxing on his first visit here, in 2007.
"I love martial arts. I've been here many times but I have never seen a real Thai boxing match. If I have time today, I would love to see a muay thai fight,'' said Verdasco, who took a lesson in the martial art from Olympic gold medallist Somjit Jongjohor during a tournament activity two years ago.
Thanks Thaination
