The 28-year-old from Buri Ram has emerged as Thailand’s biggest hope for boxing gold after countryman Chathcai Butdee lost his quarter-final on Wednesday after sustaining a bad cut eye.

Wuttichai, a two-time Asian Championships gold medallist (in 2009 and 2015), moved past Kazakh Bekdaulet Ibragimov 4-1 to secure his third straight Asian Games semi-final berth since Guangzhou 2010.

“I’m so happy to have a medal every time I come to the Asian Games. It’s more than I could ever imagine,” he said, adding that the swelling on his forehead sustained during that fight had subsided.

Wuttichai, who took home the bronze in the 2010 Games, is determined to retain his title on Saturday but first he has to get rid of his long-standing Mongolian rival Chinzorig Baatarsukh, who whipped him 5-0 in the final round of the Thailand Open last month.

“If I hadn’t been confident about my chances, I wouldn’t have come to the Asian Games,” said Wuttichai, who beat Baatarsukh 3-0 in the Asian Federation Championship in 2015 and 3-0 in the Taipei City Cup in 2013.

Five other Thais have also made it to the semi-finals and are thus guaranteed at least a bronze medal.

The three men in action are flyweight Yuttapong Thongdee, lightweight Rujakran Juntrong and welterweight Saylom Ardee, who is into his first Asiad semi-final.

On the women’s side, lightweight Sudaporn Seesondee has the toughest challenge – she is up against home fighter Huswatun Dasanah, while featherweight Nilawan Techasuep will be the last Thai in the ring.

With Thailand having bagged just nine gold medals, eight short of the pre-Games target, boxing is  the country’s biggest hope of a golden finale.

The women’s sepak takraw quadrant team are already into the semi-finals and are expected to secure Thailand’s 10th gold tomorrow.

Parinya Chuairoeng

In athletics, Parinya Chuaimroeng won a silver medal in women’s triple jump. The Thai track and field team finished the Games with three silvers (Suttisak Singkhon in men’s decathlon and Chayanisa Chomchuendee in women’s pole vault) and a bronze in men’s pole vault by Patsapong Amsam Ang

The new multi-year agreement begins immediately with preparations for the 2018 US Open that started on August 21 until September 9.

During the US Open, Rolex timepieces and clocks will be seen throughout the grounds of the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center, representing a partnership forged through a shared commitment to tennis excellence, according to its statement.

The signature clock affixed to the outer façade of Arthur Ashe Stadium will now be the iconic Rolex display.

In addition, Rolex will sponsor the Western & Southern Open in Cincinnati, completing their commitment to the Masters Series with sponsorship of all nine events.

Rolex will also support the USTA National Campus, the USTA’s hub for all its mission-related tennis activities and programs, based in the Lake Nona neighborhood of Orlando, Fla. They will also support programs of the USTA Foundation, the official charitable arm of the USTA, helping to assist under-resourced youth, said the statement.

The partnership reinforces the Rolex brand’s 40-year tradition of supporting tennis at the highest level. “Rolex is a true champion of tennis that shares the USTA’s passion for the sport,” said Gordon Smith, Chief Executive Officer & Executive Director, USTA.

“As we celebrate 50 years of the US Open, we are delighted to welcome this iconic, luxury brand as a partner and we are thankful for their support of the USTA’s mission to grow the game.”

“Our long-term commitment to supporting the pinnacle of tennis over the past 40 years has been an exciting journey that started with our association with The Championships, Wimbledon in 1978, and includes a second Grand Slam® tournament as Associate Sponsor and Official Timekeeper of the Australian Open,” said Stewart Wicht, President and CEO of Rolex Watch USA.

“It was only natural that Rolex would seek to build on its Grand Slam® heritage, in this case through an association with the USTA and its flagship tournament, the US Open.

The partnership brings together two organizations who share a passion for quality, excellence, precision and performance.”

The 2018 US Open takes place at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in Flushing, N.Y. This year marks the 50th Anniversary of the US Open and is the first US Open played upon the completion of the $600 million transformation of the National Tennis Center. It is also the inaugural season of the new Louis Armstrong Stadium, a 14,000 seat state-of-the-art facility, which is the final piece of the overall expansion.

Hendro collapsed after pounding the Indonesian capital’s smoggy streets for more than four-and-a-half hours in 31 Celsius (88 Fahrenheit) heat to finish last, in the Asian Games’ slowest 50km (31 miles) walk for nearly three decades.

The air quality index in central Jakarta hit 163 on Thursday morning. A reading of more than 150 is considered a health threat to the general population.

After being doused in ice water by medics Hendro, 28, who like many Indonesians goes by one name, was carried to the medical centre shouting incoherently with pain.

“The race was so difficult — the hot weather, humidity, and not just the humidity but the pollution,” he said after recovering. “Racing here is not easy. This is Indonesia.”

“This is a miracle for me I can finish. This is a miracle,” he added.

Hayato Katsuki of Japan took gold with 4:03:30 — 23 minutes slower than the last Asian Games — with a well-judged race, after making holes in his vest to improve ventilation.

Fellow Japanese Satoshi Maruo set the pace for much of the way but fell back in the final 10km, ending 10 minutes behind the winner and out of the medals.

China’s Wang Qin took silver, and Joo Hyun-myeong of South Korea bronze.

‘#WeBreatheTheSameAir’ 

“It was just so hot. The walkers in front went fast at the beginning but I paced myself as I knew they would slow,” said Katsuki. “I was prepared. I made cuts in my vest to help the air flow.”

The winning time was the slowest since the 1990 Asian Games in Beijing. Three racers did not finish.

Hendro’s efforts drew the biggest cheers from the home crowd, applauding his brave effort as he persevered long after any medal chance had vanished, to finish in 4:32:20.

As well as finding it hard to breathe, he was battling an old ligament injury in his right knee.

“It was so painful,” he said. “I was thinking — I must finish. This is my first time in the 50km. I didn’t want to make my coach disappointed.

“I’m so proud of the fans… they came here to support me.”

But Hendro also called for future races to be shifted away from hazy Jakarta to elsewhere in Indonesia’s Java island.

“There are no trees here, all buildings,” he said. “In the low altitude, pollution and humidity, it is difficult for all Asians,” he said.

Two athletes were disqualified for illegal steps, while China’s Wang Riu retired.

Jakarta’s air pollution came under fire earlier in the Games when activists unfurled a giant banner showing a person wearing a gas mask and the message “#WeBreatheTheSameAir”.

Chand, denied gold in both sprint races by Bahrain’s Edidiong Odiong, was barred from the 2014 Games over her hyperandrogenism, which causes high testosterone levels and left her undergoing traumatic tests to prove her gender.

The Indian athlete won a court battle for her right to compete with her hormonal imbalance, which also affects South Africa’s 800m Olympic champion Caster Semenya.

New athletics rules in place from November will bar runners with hyperandrogenism from middle-distance races, Semenya’s speciality, but allow sprinters with the same condition.

But Chand, 22, said uncertainty remained. The ruling by the International Association of Athletics Federations has been criticised, and could face challenges and amendments.

“My legal team helped me to come back,” said Chand. “But nobody could guarantee what will happen in the future. Caster Semenya is still fighting.

“There is always fear but you need to overcome it.”

Chand’s nagging doubts come despite a triumphant appearance in Jakarta, where she became the first Indian woman since sprint queen PT Usha in 1986 to win medals in both sprint events.

“God has given me a lot of trouble since 2014. I suffered a lot. Nobody could have suffered so much,” said Chand.

“But I came back to give two medals to India. It will be a big celebration back home.”

Chand led the 200m before Odiong stormed home in 22.96 to become only the fourth woman to achieve the 100m-200m double at a single Asian Games.

In the men’s 200m, Japan’s Yuki Koike won in a dramatic photo-finish with Taiwan’s Yang Chun-han.

The young Japanese athlete, expected to be in the shadow of Rio relay silver medallist and compatriot Shota Iizuka, took gold with a well-timed lean as Yang stumbled over the line.

Both finished in 20.23 while Iizuka finished sixth.

“Iizuka has so much experience of competing at 200 metres and has had so many great results,” said Koike, 23. “I just want to achieve what he has done.”

– ‘Everyone calls me Olympic champion’ –

Iranian giant Ehsan Hadadi cemented his dominance of the discus throw, thrashing the field with 65.71m for a record fourth consecutive Asian Games win.

Hadadi immediately turned his attention to Tokyo 2020, where he hopes to finally improve upon the Olympic silver he secured at London 2012.

“Now everything is about the future … I have a silver — so bad I want a gold. Everyone calls me an Olympic champion, I don’t like it!”

In addition to Chand’s heroics, Indian athletes bagged two golds. Swapna Barman clung on to her lead in the final stage of the heptathlon — the 800m — to finish ahead of China’s Wang Qingling.

And Arpinder Singh, who won bronze at the 2014 Commonwealth Games, took men’s triple jump gold with a leap of 16.77m.

The women’s high jump became a duel between two tall, blonde athletes from Uzbekistan, with two-time defending Asian champion Svetlana Radzivil needing a Games record 1.96m to beat Nadiya Dusanova.

Japan’s Seito Yamamoto won the men’s pole vault with a Games record 5.70m.

Earlier China’s Wang Kaihau took a tight men’s 20km walk, pulling ahead of Japan’s Toshikazu Yamanishi late to win by six seconds.

In the women’s, China’s Yang Jiayu and Qieyang Shijie finished nearly five minutes clear of the pack for gold and silver in a joint Games record — China’s fifth consecutive win in the event.

China pulled clear in the athletics medals tally with 11, ahead of Bahrain on nine and India on five.

Murray and Verdasco availed themselves of the policy allowing players a 10-minute heat break in matches pushed beyond straight sets, Murray heading for a cold shower while Verdasco tried an ice bath.

Murray returned to Arthur Ashe Stadium fuming at the umpire, saying he’d seen Verdasco chatting with his coach — forbidden during heat breaks — and given the nearby supervisor what for.

“I went and told the supervisor. I said, What are you guys doing?” Murray said. “I mean, there’s clear rules here and you’re allowing this to take place. I don’t get it.

“This is one of the biggest events in the world. If you have rules like that, you need to stick with them because one player getting to speak to the coach and the other not is not fair.”

Murray was quick to say he didn’t think Verdasco purposely broke any rule. He thought since the extreme heat policy put in place by the US Open is not standard procedure on the ATP Tour, the Spaniard may not have been aware of the rule.

In fact, Verdasco said, he knew he wasn’t allowed to talk to his coach — and he didn’t.

“I didn’t speak anything to any member of my team,” Verdasco said after beating Murray in four sets.

He added that while he was in the ice bath he spoke to Marcos Baghdatis and his coach — but when he saw his own coach, Nacho Truyol, in the area he was careful not to say “one word” to him.

“I know exactly the rule and I don’t want to be the one breaking it,” Verdasco said.

Six-time champion Serena eased into Friday’s third round encounter against her sister with a 6-2, 6-2 win over German world number 101 Carina Witthoeft on the back of 30 winners and 13 aces.

Venus, the 2000 and 2001 champion, made the third round for the 17th time with a 6-4, 7-5 victory over Camila Giorgi of Italy.

Friday’s match will be the earliest the sisters have met at a Slam since the 1998 Australian Open in what was also their first ever clash. It will be their sixth face-off in New York.

“Friday will be incredibly hard,” said Serena before jokingly hitting back at Venus’s claim that when they last met at a Slam in the final of the 2017 Australian Open her sister had an advantage as it was “two against one.”

That was a reference to Serena being in the early stages of pregnancy with her daughter Olympia.

“I guess I had a little advantage but it’s going to be hard for me on Friday,” said 36-year-old Serena.

Since Venus won their first ever clash in Australia, Serena, bidding for a record-equalling 24th Grand Slam title, has built up an advantage over the last two decades, enjoying a 17-12 head-to-head superiority.

“It’s a tough match to have so early in the tournament. We would have liked to have played later but it is what it is. It’s not the end of the world,” added Serena.

Venus, 38, and playing her 80th Slam, notched up her 775th career win by seeing off Giorgi.

However, she was reluctant to discuss Serena when asked to describe the specific challenges.

“You’re beating it up now. Any other questions about anything else?” she barked.

Defending champion and third seed Sloane Stephens also made the third round with a marathon 4-6, 7-5, 6-2 win over Ukraine qualifier Anhelina Kalinina.

Stephens triumphed after 2 hours and 46 minutes on Arthur Ashe Stadium and will next face two-time Australian Open champion and former world number one Victoria Azarenka.

The American needed treatment on a blistered right hand in the second set as the crushing effect of the heat and humidity took its toll.

However, the 10-minute heat-break between the second and third sets proved a timely boost.

“I just sat on the floor, changed my outfit, had two bites of Sushi and a slushie,” said the 25-year-old Stephens after seeing off world number 134 Kalinina.

Azarenka, the 2012 and 2013 runner-up, made the third round for the first time in three years with a 6-1, 6-2 win against Australian 25th seed Daria Gavrilova.

– ‘10,000 times worse’ —

Azarenka was amongst the first players to condemn the United States Tennis Association (USTA) for handing French player Alize Cornet a code violation for changing her shirt on court on Tuesday.

The incident sparked an immediate storm over sexism.

The Belarusian said the USTA displayed double standards for sanctioning Cornet while male players routinely remove their shirts courtside when the heat and humidity bite.

“If I would say my true feelings, it would be bleeped out, because it was ridiculous,” said Azarenka.

The USTA admitted they were wrong to hand Cornet a warning for slipping off her shirt on court after realising she had put the garment on back-to-front during a heat-break.

Cornet said she was stunned that the furore had caused so much controversy and was happy to accept the USTA’s apology.

“I think it’s very fair from them to apologise to me. I think the umpire was probably overwhelmed by the situation,” said Cornet who insisted that French tennis federation (FFT) president Bernard Giudicelli’s Roland Garros ban on Serena Williams’s catsuit was much worse and genuinely worthy of being deemed ‘sexist’.

“The president of my federation lives in another time and can still do these kind of comments. They are totally shocking for me,” she said.

“What Bernard Giudicelli said about Serena’s cat suit was 10,000 times worse than what happened to me.”

Ukrainian seventh seed Elina Svitolina cruised past Tatjana Maria 6-2, 6-3 to avenge a first round defeat at the hands of the German player at Wimbledon last month.

Estonia’s Kaia Kanepi followed up her first round win over world number one Simona Halep by seeing off Jil Teichmann of Switzerland 6-4, 6-3.

However, ninth seeded Julia Goerges, a semi-finalist at Wimbledon, slumped to a 7-6 (12/10), 6-3 defeat to Ekaterina Makarova of Russia.

Two days after his stunning win over 2017 world champion Yeraliyev Kairat of Uzbekistan, the 33-year-old fighter’s run came to a heartbreaking end when his bout was

terminated during the second round against Jo.

Chatchai had to go to his corner several times for treatment but when they could not stop the flow of blood the referee had no option but to end the contest. He was declared a 4-0 loser because he was down on all four judges’ cards at the time.

“I tried my best but I was unlucky. I’m sorry that I let the fans down again,” said Chatchai, who is a  three-time SEA Games gold medallist but is still without an Asian Games medal after three attempts.

“I think this will be my last Asian Games. But I will go back, work hard and stay fit for a chance to compete in the 2020 Olympics.”

The Kingdom was later boosted by reigning light welterweight champion Wuttichai Masuk who, despite a swelling on his forehead, beat Bekdaulet Ibragimov of Kazakhstan 4-1 to become the sixth Thai fighter into the semis, his third last-four appearance.

The others are Saylom Ardee (men’s welterweight), Rujakran Juntrong (men’s lightweight), Yuttapong Tongdee (men’s flyweight), Sudaporn Seesondee (women’s lightweight) and Nilawan Techasuep (women’s featherweight).

In volleyball, the women’s team secured back-to-back Asian Games semi-final appearances, beating Vietnam 3-0 (25-23 25-16 25-20).

Sadly, outside spiker Chatchu On Moksri had to be carried off after stepping on teammate Thatdao Kokram’s foot in the second set and collapsing in great pain. She twisted her ankle and was sent to hospital.

National volleyball coach Danai Sriwatcharamethakul was nonetheless satisfied with the result.

“Now we have reached our target,” he said. “Anything from here is a bonus. Some players will be hoping for more as this will be their last Asian Games.

“Losing Chatchu On will definitely affect the team but we have some replacements. We need to be careful to prevent [more] players from getting injured.  “Hopefully she will be able to recover as soon as possible,” he added.

A doctor later examined Chatchu On, however, and suggested it would take her about 2 weeks to recover.

Thailand will play South Korea in tomorrow’s semi-final (5pm).

“Against South Korea, we have to use good serves like we did against Japan. I believe we stand a chance,” the coach said.

Elsewhere, Thailand’s pencat silat team turned produced two silvers and one bronze. Ilyas Sadara won silver in the men’s singles,  as did Saowanee Chanthamunee and Oraya Choosuwan in the women’s doubles. The bronze came from the women’s team.

In sepak takraw, the women’s quadrant team picked up their second straight preliminary round win, outclassing Vietnam 2-0 in Group B.

    The 105-pound minimumweight champion, nicknamed the “dwarf giant” for his compact build and heavy hitting style, won on points after a bruising 12 rounds against Pedro Taduran in the Thai city of Nakhon Sawan .

Wanheng started strong, landing several hard rights in the early rounds that seemed to daze Taduran and signal a quick route.

But the 21-year-old southpaw from the Philippines lived up to his alias “Rattle Snake”, enduring the abuse and biting back in the fifth round with a flurry of punches.

The brief comeback was put down as Wanheng kept his composure in the second half of the bout, delivering clean hits that left Taduran visibly tired.

Wanheng, 32, shot to unlikely fighting fame in May when he dispatched Panamanian Leroy Estrada, equaling “Money” Mayweather’s win streak.

All three judges scored in his favour after the final round.

Wanheng’s record-busting quest has generated buzz in Thailand and in boxing media outlets.

But it has also been shrugged off as a statistical quirk because of the two very different careers of the famous, flashy American and the soft-spoken Thai.

Wanheng has fought undistinguished rivals on home turf while Mayweather defeated some of the sport’s all-time greats including Manny Pacquiao and Oscar De La Hoya.

Mayweather’s fights also come with huge purses, like the $100 million on offer when he was teased from retirement last year to take on MMA star Conor McGregor.

Wanheng’s legal name is Chayaphon Moonsri but he also fights under the alias “Five-Star Grilled Chicken” due to a sponsorship deal with a Thai food company.

His latest win brings him level with Mexican flyweight Ricardo Lopez, who retired with 51 wins, one draw and no losses.

However, during the second set outside spiker Chatchu On Moksri was carried out of the court afer she stepped on a feet of teammate Thatdao Kokram and collapsed. She was reported to twist her ankle and was later sent to hospital.

“ Now we have reached the target. Anything from here is a bonus. Some players hope for more as this will be their last Asian Games,” said national coach Danai Sriwatcharamethakul.

“Losing Chatchu On will definitely affect the team but we will still have some replacements. What we need to be careful is to prevent players from having injuries. We hope she can recover to help the team,” he added.

Thailand will play the winning team between South Korea or Indonesia at 5pm on Friday.

“Against South Korea, we have to use good serves like we did against Japan. I believe we stand a chance,” the coach said.