The world No 81 who just claimed her maiden 125K series title in India two weeks ago dominated play with her attacking double fisted groundstrokes to win the semi-final clash against the 211st-ranked opponent in one hour and 30 minutes.

Luksika will play former world No 12 Sabine Lisicki of Germany in the final on Sunday. The 2013 Wimbledon finalist, now ranked 262^nd in the world, beat Vitalia Diatchenko of Russia 1-6 6-3 7-5 to reach the final.

The Thai ace will play the German for the first time. Lisicki in on a comeback trail after injury problems that saw her drop down in the world ranking.

The 2018 Laguna Phuket Triathlon (LPT) is back again this weekend and will feature the inaugural “25 For 25 Sprint” sprint-distance triathlon to mark the 25th anniversary of the event.

“The Race of Legends”, which comprises a 1.8km swim, 50km bike race and 12km run, will take place at the “Laguna Phuket” complex in Thalang District on Phuket Island on Sunday. Thousands of athletes and spectators around the world are expected to attend.

 The event once again features a strong pro athlete line-up, including four-time champion Massimo Cigana of Italy, Bart Aernouts of Belgium, runner-up in the World Championship in Kona, Hawaii, Stuart Hayes of England, Per van Vlerken of Germany and Marcel Zamora Perez of Spain.

In the women’s field, sports fans will get to see Emma Pallent of England, winner of the 2017 Penticton ITU Aquathon World Championships  and Yvonne van Vlerken of the Netherlands, the 2008 Ironman World Championships runner-up.

Both are expected to be in a tight contest with 2004 ITU World Triathlon Championship winner Madeira Annabel Luxford of Australia.

Phuket-born Jaray Jearanai, who holds the record as LPT’s national champion for the last seven years, will hope to continue his domination of local rivals in the field.

To mark the 25th edition, LPT, Asia’s longest-standing triathlon race, will also unveil its inaugural “25 For 25 Sprint” triathlon, a 0.5km swim, 18.5km bike race and 6km run.

Saturday also sees the second annual LPT Charity Fun Run “Run for Fun, Run for Kids” (5Km, 10Km and 2Km Kids Run) to raise funds for more than 400 children in Phuket’s seven orphanages. Charity Ambassador and actress Rachwin “Koy” Wongviriya will also take part in the event.

“I am pleased that the 25th Laguna Phuket Triathlon will once again attract athletes from around the world to Phuket Province,” said race director Prapa Hemmin.

“We are expecting more than 1,200 athletes to join the race on Sunday, plus more than 2,500 to participate in the Charity Fun Run on Saturday – all will help us celebrate the race’s 25-year milestone.”

The race is expected to boost tourism on the island by more than Bt94 million in one weekend alone.

The sixth seeded easily picked off the off-form Japanese who held a better head-to-head record of 11-8 over the Thai coming to the match. The former world No 1 booked her spot in the semi-sinals for the first time after she reached this stage in the Malaysia Open in June.

Ratchanok will play South Korean Sung Ji Hyun who advanced into the semi-finals after Chinese He Bingjiao retured with injury at 13-21 11-19 in Sung’s favour.

However, Thai No 3 Pornpawee Chochuwong  went down to 2017 world champion Nozomi Okuhara of Japan 21-12 16-21 21-6.

In mixed doubles, the in-form Dechapol Puavaranukroh and Sapsiree Taerattanachai beat Hafiz Faizal and Gloria Emanuelle Widjaja of Indonesia 21-12 15-21 21-13.

The Football Association of Indonesia had requested 5,000 tickets for the group B game, an increase from 2,400 seats on its original demand, but FAT spokesperson Patit Suphaphongs said the request must be declined, even though the game is still not a sell-out.

He pointed to security concerns as the reason why FAT would not provide the extra 2,400 requested by the visitors. As of Thursday, more than 25,000 tickets had been sold for the game at the 60,000-capacity stadium.

“We are concerned about offering seats that may affect security – we have no desire to sell tickets to away close to the home fans,” Patit said.

“However, if Indonesia insist they need more than [their original] 2,600 seats, we will inform the organising committee for consideration.”

Meanwhile it was decided at a meeting on Friday between representatives of the two teams that Thailand will wear play in navy blue ands Indonesia in red.

The game kicks off at 6.30pm and is being broadcast live on Channel 7.

Thailand, who are seeking a hat-trick of Suzuki Cup triumphs, thrashed Timor Leste 7-0 last Friday in their opening match, six of the goals scored by one player, Adisak Kraisorn of Muangthong United.

Indonesia have one defeat (1-0 to Singapore) and one win (3-1 over East Timor).

The 34-year-old was picked by close friend, Kiradech Aphibarnrat, to team up and fly Thailand’s flag together, where the duo will take on the world at The Metropolitan Golf Club from November 22 to 25.

“My dad (Suthep) played in World Cup of Golf previously, so it’s nice I will get a chance to play in the World Cup too and follow in his footsteps. To have the opportunity to represent Thailand is nice for the family,” said Prom, who is a two-time Asian Tour winner.

Strong family ties have provided the foundation in Prom’s golf career. His father Suthep, now 70, was the first local golfer to win the Thailand Open in 1991, which needless to say, inspired Prom to play the game as a career.

He also regards Kiradech as family after both golfers grew up together under the tutelage of late coach Natpasit Chokthanasart, better known as Pro Jew in the local golfing fraternity, during their junior days.

“We played a lot of golf together and we’ve said we must partner together in a team event at least once. So when he asked me to play in the World Cup of Golf, it was really nice to hear that,” said Prom. “I’m so happy to be picked by him. We grew up together, had the same coach, have been good friends for a long time. Our families are also very close,” he added.

While Kiradech, who has enjoyed three top-fives in the World Golf Championships in 2018, has been blazing a new trail for Thai golf recently where he earned a PGA TOUR card for the 2018-19 Season, Prom has enjoyed a steady season on the Asian Tour with three top-10s and seven other top-25s.

Nicknamed the Big Dolphin due to his physique and the fact that he hails from a coastal town, Prom believes he and Kiradech can produce a good showing for Team Thailand.

“We’ll go out and enjoy ourselves,” said Prom. “In fourball, he’s very aggressive and that’s a good thing. I will be his back-up and in foursomes, my accuracy will help the team. I think we can contend. The way I’m playing this year and Kiradech has played so well too, we can have a chance. Kiradech has stepped onto the highest level and we’re really proud he’s flying the Thai flag on the PGA TOUR.

“Our senior players, Boonchu Ruangkit, Thaworn Wiratchant, Prayad Marksaeng and Thongchai Jaidee, have done a lot for golf in Thailand, so now it’s my generation and Kiradech’s generation. It would be the right time to have a good finish in the World Cup of Golf and show Thai golf and Asian golf can win anywhere.”

Prom, who is five years older, recalled the first time he met Kiradech and recalled how they struck an immediate bond. “He was about eight or nine and I was around 14. We played junior golf together, but under different age groups and our coach got me to practise with him. We hung out together and always traveled together. Even then we were playing on the European Tour for several years, we were regular roommates. He’s a genuine guy,” said Prom.

Kiradech, currently ranked 39^th in the world, remembers the first time he and Prom went head-to-head in a junior event. “I started well and got eight shots ahead and in the car ride home, I told him ‘I’ll kick your ass’ and then he goes and shoot six and seven under! On the last day, I was one behind with one hole to play and walking up the 18^th tee, I told him I wanted to win the event badly and as he’d won it twice before, I asked him to give me the win.

“He laughed at me and as I lined up a 50-foot putt for birdie, he walked around me and said if I holed that putt, he’d give me the win. I laughed too as I knew I wasn’t going to hole the putt. He then told me that one day, we’ll have to team up and not play against each other. This dream is coming true,” said Kiradech.

Prom’s wife is scheduled to deliver their second child, a boy, this weekend and hopes the latest addition would eventually pick up the sport and keep up the family tradition.

“I hope he follow my footstep too,” said Prom.

A Thailand win at the World Cup of Golf would certainly provide the inspiration for the new-born, and Prom and Kiradech are certainly determined to have all the fun in the world at The Metropolitan Golf Club as they live up a childhood promise together.

Olson, whose best showing in five career LPGA campaigns was a runner-up finish at this year’s Evian Championship in France, fired a bogey-free career low nine-under-par 63 at Tiburon Golf Club in Naples, Florida, to seize the 18-hole lead.

“It’s just fun to be playing well,” Olson said. “It’s always a good feeling. I had a lot like perfect numbers in today. Rolled the ball really well. I was just seeing the line, reading the putts really well, and hitting it where I wanted.”

Teen sensation Hataoka, who won the Northwest Arkansas Championshiop in June and the Japan Classic earlier this month, fired a bogey-free 64 to share second with American Brittany Lincicome.

But in doing so, the 19-year-old Asian star jumped from fourth to first in the projected CME Globe bonus race standings, pushing ahead of world number one Ariya Jutanugarn of Thailand, who opened seven off the pace.

Ariya has clinched LPGA Player of the Year and money titles and is a runaway leader for the Vare Trophy for low scoring average. If she could take the bonus, she would be the first woman to sweep every major season-ending LPGA award.

Olson birdied the par-5 opening hole, ran off four birdies in a row to close the front nine and four more in a row from the par-5 14th through the par-5 17th.

Lincicome, who began her round with five birdies in a row, closed with a bogey or she would have matched Olson for the lead.

“I didn’t really even think about it until maybe like the fifth one in a row,” Lincicome said. “I was like, Oh, yeah, we’re doing something great this week.”

Hataoka birdied the par-5 sixth, closed the front and back nines with back-to-back birdies and added three birdies in a row at the par-4 11th, par-3 12th and par-4 13th holes.

American Lexi Thompson was fourth on 65 with Spaniard Carlota Ciganda another stroke adrift.

Ariya stumbled with back-to-back bogeys at the third and fourth holes and stumbled with another on the closing hole to fall seven shots back.

The ATP Cup, announced by the ATP and Tennis Australia on Thursday during the ATP Finals in London, will be played from 2020 across three Australian cities over 10 days in the lead-up to the Australian Open, the first Grand Slam of the year, which starts in January.

It will offer $15 million (13.25 million euros) in prize money and up to 750 ATP Rankings points to the winners.

“I like that it’s owned by ATP, by the players, and that we have ranking points, and it’s going to be the best way to kickstart the season,” said world number one Djokovic.

“More than 90 percent of the time we’re playing as individuals and we don’t have too many team events.”

Federer was upbeat about the new event and said the Davis Cup would not suffer.

“Clearly if the World Team Cup is going to be held, players will want to play that first week of the year, so you would think it’s going to be exciting,” the Swiss said after reaching the last four of the ATP Finals in London.

“The Davis Cup has incredibly rich history. You would think the players are going to play that. From that standpoint, I think there’s not that much change, per se, or more tournaments on the calendar. It just happens that there’s more team events, which I think the players are happy about.”

The comments from Djokovic, who is president of the ATP player council, were in sharp contrast to views he voiced the previous day, when he said having two similar team tournaments so close together would not be sustainable, also expressing concerns over the length of the tennis season.

“I think in the next two years we’ll have both events happening in a very similar format if not the same, six weeks apart,” he said.

“I honestly don’t think it’s good for the sport… It will happen that we will have two average events.”

– Davis Cup fears –

A revamped Davis Cup tournament will take place from November 2019, bringing together 18 nations in one place for a week at the end of the season.

The Davis Cup is run by the ITF, the governing body of world tennis, while the ATP, which runs the men’s Tour, will stage the ATP Cup.

Earlier this week, world number five Alexander Zverev said almost all the top players would skip the Davis Cup.

“The Davis Cup has some serious issues to think about, I think,” he said.

“One of them is the dates. I think the dates are very important and I think none of the top players will play, except Rafa (Rafael Nadal) because it’s in Spain. I’m very, very sure that a lot of top players will not play. We’ll see how it goes.”

The format of the ATP Cup will see nations split into six groups, with eight teams emerging from the round-robin stage to compete in the knockout phase.

There will be up to five players in each team, with ties comprising two singles matches and one doubles match.

The Swiss broke the giant South African’s serve four times in a comprehensive 6-4, 6-3 victory at London’s O2 Arena even though Anderson had not faced a single break point in his two earlier round-robin victories.

Second seed Federer suffered a painful loss at the hands of Anderson in the Wimbledon quarter-finals this year after leading by two sets, his only defeat against him in five meetings before Thursday’s clash.

The six-time champion started the week with an uncharacteristically ragged display in a straight-sets defeat by Kei Nishikori but has beaten Dominic Thiem and Anderson in straight sets and is looking more like his old self as the tournament progresses.

The victory over fourth-seed Anderson in the Lleyton Hewitt Group takes Federer through to the semi-finals for the 15th time in 16 attempts at the season-ending finale and means he will likely avoid a meeting in the last four against in-form Novak Djokovic.

“I’m happy that this is another week like this,” said Federer. “Didn’t look like it maybe 72 hours ago. But I was able to come back and play good tennis.

“Personally I’m still not thinking of the number 100. I won’t let that get in my head, make me go crazy because it should be something I’m excited about and not something I should feel extra pressure.

“As long as I think Novak is in the draw anyhow, he’s playing so good again, it’s never going to be easy.”

The first set was a topsy-turvy affair, with both players quickly into their groove on serve before a succession of breaks.

– Service breaks –

Federer, buoyed by his customary vocal support, broke to lead 4-3, only to lose his momentum immediately as Anderson levelled.

The Swiss broke the South African in the next game, sealing the break with a crisp backhand volley at the net but was immediately in trouble at 0-40 on his own serve before winning five successive points to take the set.

The second set went with serve until the seventh game, when Federer produced an immaculate sliced backhand that landed on the line to earn a break.

Now playing with freedom, the 37-year-old broke again to seal the victory and guarantee that he tops the group.

Earlier, Dominic Thiem beat Nishikori 6-1, 6-4 but both players will exit at the round-robin stage.

Top seed Djokovic is already through to the semi-finals after beating Alexander Zverev in the Guga Kuerten Group on Wednesday, with Zverev, Marin Cilic and John Isner battling for the other semi-final berth.

The world number one, aiming for a sixth ATP Finals title to pull level with Federer, plays Cilic on Friday while Zverev takes on Isner.

The sixth seed Ratchanok cruised past Chinese Chen Xiaoxin 21-6 21-16 in the women’s singles second round while earlier on the day Thai No 3 Pornpawee came back from a game down to beat Dane Mia Blichfeldt 17-21 21-10 21-13.

“I’m playing well this week as I’m really focused and stick to the game plan. I’m just executing my shots the way I want to well,” said the national champion Pornpawee.

Doubles specialist Sapsiree Taerattanachai also reached the quarter-finals in both the women’s and mixed doubles events.

The Khon Kaen-based teamed up with Puttita Supajirakul to beat Emilie Lefel and Anne Tran of France 21-15 21-15. She later paired with Dechapol Puavaranukroh in the mixed doubles to beat Chris and Gabrielle Adcock 23-21 21-12.

Also moving ahead was the mixed doubles pair of Nipitphon Phuangphuapet and Savitree Amitrapai, ousting Ronald Ronald and Annisa Saufika of Idonesia 21-14 21-14.

Following a disappointing crowd of just 8,000 in last week’s opening game against Timor Leste, which the home side won 7-0, the Thai players are hoping to see more support from their fans at the Rajamangala National Stadium this weekend.

“I’ve heard that more than 23,000 tickets have been sold, which is really good news,” said the 32-year-old Nakhon Ratchasima player and new skipper. “For players, there’s nothing more we wish to see more than a full stadium.”

With coach Milovan Rajevac focusing on shoring up the Thailand defence, the team has now kept three straight clean sheets, including two friendly games against Hong Kong and Trinidad and Tobago last month.

Chalermpong believes they are now moving in the right direction.

“Actually our defenders are quite good but they were not quite disciplined during games before, so the coach has changed their attitude and made them more committed to our game plan,” he said.

He says the three consecutive wins have also improved the mood at the training camp as the players’ confidence grows.

However, he admitted there would be tougher challenges ahead, with the remaining games in Group B against Indonesia, Philippines and Singapore.

“This is just the beginning. There is a lot of work to do out there. We need to listen to the coach and fix a few things that need improving,” he said.

The players have also had more than two weeks to work with Rajevac, longer than usual, and Chalermpong believes that is one of the factors that has helped make the team more solid.

“Against Indonesia it will be a lot tougher. I believe we can conquer any team as long as we are not careless during the game,” added Chalermpong.

Thailand play Indonesia at 6.30pm on Saturday and the game will be shown live on Channel 7.