Michael Chang bid farewell to Memphis after 16 years
when he lost 6-4, 6-2 to second seed Paradorn Srichaphan
in the first round at the Kroger St. Jude.
Chang, who made his professional debut in the tournament
in 1988 and has played there ever year since as well
as winning the title in 1997, had no answer to Srichaphan's
power and all-round game, going down in 56 minutes.
"Obviously it's been a great run over the years,"
said Chang. "I've got a lot of fond memories here
and definitely a lot of great things to take away from
playing here. I've enjoyed it immensely and have had
a lot of success here along the way."
Chang, who was drawn against Andre Agassi in the first
round in San Jose last week, was full of praise for
his Thai opponent. "Paradorn served really well
tonight," said Chang, who turns 31 on Saturday.
"He got into a groove and really didn't give me
many chances. Andre served just as well last week. It's
a little bit disappointing to lose, but I knew it was
going to be a tough match."
Hero
Srichaphan, who won the title in Chennai in the first
week of the year, grew up idolizing Chang as a kid and
was just as disappointed to see him go. "I'm also
feeling sad because it's the last time here for him,"
said Srichaphan. "I didn't want to play him in
the first round because he was my hero when I was young."
The 23-year-old from Bangkok added: "I met him
for the first time when I was playing junior tournaments,
and the first time I played against him he taught me
a lesson. He's a great player and a great guy. He has
given me a lot of advice since I turned professional,
and when I wasn't playing too well in my third year
on the tour, he gave me confidence to go for my shots
and play my game."
Chang certainly believes Srichaphan has all the weapons
to carry on to the top. "Paradorn has a great serve
and has some really heavy groundstrokes," said
Chang. "When I was growing up, there weren't many
players from Asia, so it's great to see guys like Paradorn
playing at the top level on the tour."
Srichaphan now meets American Mardy Fish for a place
in the quarterfinals.
