The two Thai youngsters have a lot to live up to. Atthaya Thitikul won the inaugural edition 12 months ago aged just 14 years, four months and 19 days, the youngest ever to win the Ladies European title. The defending champion however is absent from the field as she is engaged in a national selection competition in Indonesia for the Asian Games.

Saranporn, 18, has won 15 titles since turning professional four years ago. Two recent trophies bagged on the China LPGA Tour should boost her confidence as she tees off at the Phoenix Gold Club’s 6,243-yard layout with par set at 72.

Arpichaya only turned 16 last month but has already won back-to-back Thai LPGA Tour titles, to earn her place on the LET Thailand. Hailing from Saraburi, the in-form teenager will be brimming with confidence and is one to watch this week.

Europe’s fearsome challenge is spearheaded by Solheim Cup star Florentyna Parker, 2016 Order of Merit winner Beth Allen and the long-hitting Dutchwoman Anne Van Dam, plus recent winners Astrid Vayson de Pradenne, Julia Engström and Carmen Alonso.

Van Dam, known as the Dutch Bomber, has already made an impact in Asia, winning the 2016 Xiamen International Ladies Open in China. The 22-year-old, who tied for 17th in Thailand 12 months ago, will be looking to build on her strong start to the year after she finished third in the Canberra Classic in Australia.

Meanwhile Parker is eyeing her fourth LET title following her play-off victory over Anna Nordqvist and Carlota Ciganda at the 2017 Estrella Damm Mediterranean Ladies Open.

    The big guns from Group B return to action after Russia all but guaranteed their place in the next round, sweeping Egypt aside 3-1 to make it two wins out of two.

Five-time world player of the year Ronaldo bagged a sublime treble to salvage a 3-3 draw against Spain in Sochi in Russia 2018’s stand-out match so far, the 51st of his glittering career.

“I’m very happy, it’s a nice personal record to have, one more in my career,” Ronaldo said.

“For me the most important thing is to emphasise what the team did against one of the favourites to win this World Cup.”

Spain head to Kazan to face Iran still counting the cost of a chaotic run-up to the tournament during which Julen Lopetegui was sensationally sacked just two days before they opened their campaign.

Former international defender Fernando Hierro is now at the helm and has the job of steadying the ship and steering Andres Iniesta and his teammates into the last 16.

“It’s a crucial match that will determine our World Cup destiny,” said midfielder Isco of the Iran showdown.

“We want to score from the opening minute, even though that won’t be easy.”

Iran kicked off their campaign with a 1-0 win against Morocco, thanks to a late own goal by Aziz Bouhaddouz, piling the pressure on Spain at Kazan Arena on Wednesday.

Iran sit on top of the pile as the only Group B team with a win so far, an achievement that sparked celebrations in the streets of Tehran and throughout the Islamic republic.

Coach Carlos Queiroz concedes Iran now face one of the biggest challenges in their World Cup history, but maintains they can “make the impossible possible”.

“We are well aware of Spain’s reputation, so we’ll have to play our best game ever. In the end the football gods will decide,” said the former Real Madrid coach.

Iran have never beaten a European side at a World Cup — their only previous victory was a 2-1 win over the United States in France in 1998.

Morocco need to bounce back from their agonising defeat against Iran but Portugal, and Ronaldo in particular, pose Herve Renard’s men a monumental challenge at Moscow’s Luzhniki Stadium.

“We lost a battle but we haven’t lost the war. We’re not dead,” said midfielder Faycal Fajr, one of 17 foreign-born players in Morocco’s squad.

– 100 up for Suarez – 

Uruguay take on Saudi Arabia in Wednesday’s other game, with forward Luis Suarez set to mark his 100th appearance for the Celeste in the Group A clash in Rostov-on-Don.

The Barcelona man has exited the last two World Cups in disgrace after being sent off for a goal-line handball against Ghana, and he infamously sank his teeth into Italy defender Giorgio Chiellini in 2014.

The game itself should be straightforward for Uruguay, who won their Group A opener 1-0 against an Egypt team without Mohamed Salah as they face a Saudi Arabia outfit hammered 5-0 by hosts Russia in the tournament curtain-raiser.

The Saudis’ preparations were jolted by a mid-air mishap on Monday when the plane carrying them to Rostov suffered a fire in one of its engines.

The aircraft landed safely after what one of the Saudi players called a “simple malfunction”.

Hosts Russia stand on the verge of the knockout stages after Tuesday’s emphatic win against Egypt in Saint Petersburg.

After a goalless first half, Egypt captain Ahmed Fathi scored an own goal before Denis Cheryshev struck and Artem Dzyuba added a third. Salah scored a consolation penalty late on but it was not enough for the Pharaohs.

A grinning Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev posted a photo on Facebook of him watching the Egypt game with his Belarussian counterpart Andrei Kobyakov.

“Victory!” he wrote.

Earlier, Senegal secured a first win for an African nation at this tournament, benefiting from a terrible error from Polish goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny to beat Poland 2-1 in Moscow.//AFP

The charity money was primarily raised from the auction of celebrity golfers’ donated items, the sales of personalized and signed golf balls, as well as the birdie pins prizes on the Pro-Am day.

The donation ceremony was presided over by Mr. Pitak Pruittisarikorn, Chief Operating Officer of Honda Automobile (Thailand) Co., Ltd, Ms. Winnie Heng, Vice President & Managing Director, IMG Thailand, and Emeritus Professor Dr. Phisit Chirawong, M.D, PhD and Deputy Managing Director of Siriraj Hospital Foundation at the Mahidol Bumphen Building, Siriraj Hospital on Monday.

“We are very delighted and proud to be a part of the activity that raised fund to support the Siriraj Hospital Foundation. On behalf of the Honda LPGA Thailand 2018, I would like to thank all the golf fans, LPGA players and sponsors who have made it all possible. It was truly a remarkable success to have held such major golfing event here in Thailand while making it possible to give back to the society”,  said Pitak.

A viral Twitter post pinkys421 showed a camera panning towards Japanese fans in their blue jerseys.

The camera then focuses on a Japanese man carrying a blue waste bag. Subsequently, fellow Japanese fans were seen picking up rubbish at their seating area and dumping them into the blue waste bags.

Twitter user macaroni_O called the Japanese fans, “class acts”. “They do it regardless of a match result,” she said.

However, macaroni_O proved that the Colombian fans were also civic-conscious, as they also cleaned up their part of the stadium.

The photo macaroni_O posted which was published by asahi_photo showed two men decked out in yellow jerseys wearing the Colombian sombrero posing for photographs while carrying blue waste bags filled with trash.

Twitter user kigurumi1219 said: “Nice!”.

This is not the first time the Japanese have cleaned up after themselves.

Back in the 2014 World Cup in Brazil, fans stayed back after the match to pick up their own trash, despite the Japanese team losing 2-1 to the Ivory Coast.

The act went viral on social media, with many praising the Japanese for their cleanliness.

New Thailand Open champion Panuphol Pittayarat of Thailand and Paul Harris of the United States presented a cheque to the nonprofit housing organization at the Thai Country Club last week.

Thai Country Club lead the way when they matched the funds raised from selling pro-am spots at the Thailand Open while the Asian Tour also showed their support to Habitat for Humanity – the Tour’s Sustainable Development Partner – by topping up the donation.

“As Asian Tour golfers, we travel around the world to play golf and not many people are as fortunate as us. When we learnt that the Asian Tour has partnered with Habitat for Humanity, many of the players wanted to help,” said Panuphol.

“I’m pleased to play a small role and I hope that this small gesture by the Asian Tour and Thai Country Club can help a family in Thailand to build a decent home,” the Thai golfer added.

During the week of the Thailand Open, Habitat for Humanity Thailand raised awareness of the need for decent housing and sold merchandise to raise funds for a vision of a world where everyone has a decent place to live.

Timothy Loke, CEO of Habitat for Humanity Thailand, welcomed the strong support – “Golf is a good platform for Habitat for Humanity Thailand to raise awareness and funds for our cause. A big thank you goes out to the Thai Country Club and the Asian Tour for sharing our vision and mission to build more affordable homes in Thailand.”

“We look forward to working together with the Asian Tour and other strong advocates such as Thai Country Club, to spread our message and support Thai families who want to improve their lives through decent housing,” said Loke.

General Manager of Thai Country Club John Blanch saluted the efforts of Habitat: “On behalf of the staff of Thai TGC, we are humbled by Habitat for Humanity’s dedication to improve and provide decent housing to people in Thailand. We hope that this contribution will have long-term impact beyond helping a family have a good roof over their head.”

Asian Tour Chief Executive Officer Josh Burack said more activities to support Habitat for Humanity will be organized at future Asian Tour events.

“The Asian Tour tournaments and our global media reach are the ideal platforms to help Habitat for Humanity spread international awareness to raise funds and attract more volunteers. Our talented players are very excited to lend their support and push the Habitat for Humanity mission. Our heartfelt gratitude also goes out to the Thai Country Club for their gracious effort to drive this charity initiative,” said Burack.

The intense racing battle of the premier touring car series enjoyed by more than 100 million audiences worldwide is brought up close to Thai racing enthusiasts at Chang International Circuit, Buriram on June 30-July 1, 2018.

Spectators will get to witness many of the top world-class talents, including Jenson Button and Naoki Yamamoto of Team Kunimitsu (No.100) who currently sit atop the leaderboard after achieving best cumulative score for the first three rounds.  Both star drivers are set to compete in GT500 class at the 4^th round of the 2018 Super GT Series in the high-performance Honda NSX-GT.

 The support race “Honda Racing 2018” will also take place on the track and feature 47 vehicles from several racing teams. The competitions, which offer honorary trophies and a total prize purse of 750,000 baht, will be divided into 3 classes: Honda Pro Car, Honda Pro Car Modify and Honda Brio Cup.

 Tickets are now available at Counter Service All Ticket via all 7-11 branches and http://www.allticket.com. Ticket prices: 3,000 (VIP one-day pass) / 5,000 (VIP two-day pass) / 1,500 (one-day grandstand) / 2,000 (two-day grandstand) / 300 (one-day side stand) and 500 (two-day side stand) baht.

Days after celebrating only their second-ever World Cup win in five editions with a 1-0 victory over Morocco that sent them top of Group B, Iran are expected to return to earth with a bump against a Spain side oozing class.

“For us it’s a privilege and an honour to be here. It’s a unique opportunity for us to play against Spain, one of the candidates to win the World Cup,” Queiroz told a packed and, at times, chaotic media conference in Kazan on Tuesday.

“We’re in a win-win situation because it’s a unique opportunity for our national team to learn more about the game and to grow as players.”

Atletico Madrid striker Diego Costa scored twice while Real Madrid defender Nacho gave Spain a 3-2 lead before Cristiano Ronaldo snatched a 3-3 draw for Portugal with a late third in a spectacular game in Sochi last Friday.

Queiroz  is under no illusions about the superiority of Fernando Hierro’s side as the Spaniards look to claim their first win of the tournament.

But he says Iran are in Russia carrying the hopes of an entire nation, not just to make up the numbers.

“If there was a magic potion to stop the Spanish team, then $1 million would not be too much to buy it, even though we do have some financial troubles,” said Queiroz, who was flanked by AEK Athens midfielder Masoud Shojaei.

Queiroz, a former assistant to Alex Ferguson at Manchester United, sounded a defiant message, saying Spain could boss the match technically but could not control how much Iran will fight.

“We are well aware of Spain’s reputation, so we’ll have to play our best game ever. In the end the football gods will decide,” he said.

He won a penalty, and scored it, ripping the ball with his left foot into the top corner.

But by then, Russia were already three up and this game was as good as gone.

“If he was not injured, it is very difficult to know what would have happened,” Egypt coach Hector Cuper said. “But we know the quality he has.”

On show here was not the Salah that had tormented Roma and Manchester City, or scored 32 goals in the Premier League and 10 to power Liverpool to the Champions League final.

This was Salah making the best of things, hoping to deliver a single, match-winning moment even if he knew a complete performance was never on the cards.

The way he shuffled off at the end, as Russia’s substitutes rushed on to celebrate a 3-1 victory in Group A, suggested even he knew it was a long shot.

Certainly, he was not 100 per cent fit, that much had been clear on Monday when Salah jogged around the Saint Petersburg Stadium pitch, testing out his left shoulder with a series of tentative barges but opting out when his team-mates swung their arms in circles.

It was clear too in the first 30 minutes, when the 26-year-old barely touched the ball, and when he did, turned back, looked inside or, on more than one occasion, gave it away.

“He wasn’t in all the preparation with us and that cost him a little bit of his physical ability,” Cuper said.

He had little option but to play him, of course, given a second consecutive match missed would likely mean Salah being fitter only for a dead rubber against Saudi Arabia.

Realistically, Egypt had to win here and in playing Salah, Cuper played his trump card.

There was a psychological boost to be gained too, as Egyptian fans, draped in flags and coated in face paint, bounced and cheered whenever Salah’s face appeared on the big screen.

Russian supporters knew his importance. One even arrived wearing a Real Madrid shirt, with Ramos’ name printed on the back.

And so too did 34-year-old left-back Yuri Zhirkov. When cross-field balls floated towards Salah, Zhirkov headed them clear. When Salah collected the ball deeper in midfield, Zhirkov clattered his second touch. When Salah pulled free at the back post, Zhirkov made the clearance, scrambling the ball over his own bar.

“We have a mission and we will accomplish the mission,” Russia’s coach Stanislav Cherchesov had vowed on Monday.

Salah showed glimpses but his touch was never crisp, his thought process indecisive.

At the end of the first half, he finally had Zhirkov squared up on the edge of the area but his footwork was muddled and a shot on the turn whistled past the post.

Perhaps the single moment did, in the end, arrive in the 73rd minute. Egypt poured into the box and as Salah looked to run beyond, Zhirkov tugged him back.

After consulting his video assistant, referee Enrique Caceres upgraded the free-kick into a penalty and Salah made no mistake.

Only by then, Russia were home and dry, an own-goal from Ahmed Fathi and strikes from Denis Cheryshev and Artem Dzyuba putting the hosts on the brink of the last 16.

Salah had his goal but it was nothing more than a footnote.

The Japanese were widely written off as Group H contenders when Nishino was brought in as head coach in April, leaving him precious little time to prepare for the Russian showpiece.

However, he was in high spirits after his side won 2-1 in their opening match to became the first Asian side to beat a South American team at a World Cup.

“If it was just one game, we’d have had a parade on the streets of Saransk, but we have more games to come, so we will save our celebrations,” quipped the 63-year-old when asked how Japan would celebrate.

Colombia played almost the entire match with a man short after midfielder Carlos Sanchez was sent off for a handball in a dramatic opening to the match.

Shinji Kagawa converted the resulting penalty in the sixth minute only for Juan Quintero to equalise with a free-kick that flew under the Japan wall to make it 1-1 at the break.

However, Japanese perseverance paid off as forward Yuya Osako leapt highest at a corner to net a goal he described as a “dream come true” with just over a quarter of an hour to go to seal the deserved victory.

“We aimed high coming into this match and we got the result,” said Nishino, who took over at the helm after the Japanese FA sacked his predecessor Vahid Halilhodzic.

“Every single player was very positive, especially in the second half.

“To be able to celebrate this victory is a big advantage, but the second and third games will also be tough,” he added, with Senegal to come on Sunday followed by Poland on June 28.

The Japanese head coach praised his side for using their numerical advantage to wear out Colombia’s forwards.

Japan’s coach Akira Nishino

– Aggression –

“From the start, I thought we could be very aggressive and we had the advantage of more players,” said Nishino.

“After we scored (the penalty) we gave them a few chances, we didn’t finish the first half very well, so at half-time I told the players to keep moving.

“It was good that we could deprive their front players of stamina.”

The Japan boss was pleased with the way his team neutralised the threat of Colombia’s star forward James Rodriguez, who came off the bench for the final 30 minutes after labouring with a calf strain over the weekend.

“When James came on, which I knew would happen, the team defended as a whole, rather than just a player marking him,” said Nishino.

“We controlled the ball better, which is why we got the second goal.”

Colombia coach Jose Pekerman admitted the defeat hurt.

“We were hoping to start with victory. The positive side is that the team rose to the occasion and equalised even after losing one of our key players,” said the Argentine.

“That’s a good reaction and shows we can move forward into the next matches and hopefully make up for this defeat. Right now, the pain we feel is because despite that huge effort, we lost our opportunity.

“Even if we had subbed on fresh players, it was hard to get back possession and Japan deserved the win.”

Murray was beaten 2-6, 7-6 (7/4), 7-5 by Australia’s Nick Kyrgios in the Queen’s Club first round on Tuesday as the former world number one returned from the hip injury that required surgery in January and wiped out the second half of last season.

The 31-year-old Scot, back on court for the first time since a Wimbledon quarter-final defeat against Sam Querrey 342 days ago, had low expectations of his return after several aborted comeback attempts.

Although the two-time Wimbledon champion, whose ranking has plummeted to 156, showed signs of rust in his shot-making and movement at times, he was generally encouraged by his gutsy display.

However, Murray admitted to feeling stiffness in his back during the match and his foot afterwards, prompting him to make it clear he is still unsure if his body can hold up to the demands of best-of-five-set ties at Wimbledon.

He plans to see how he recovers over the next 48 hours before deciding whether to play at the All England Club, where he has twice won the Wimbledon title.

“How I feel tomorrow is relevant. If I wake up and don’t feel good then that’s not the best sign for best of five tennis,” Murray said.

“If it had been a five setter today it would have been another hour and a half of tennis. That would have been difficult for me.

“I won’t rule anything out just now. I won’t rule out playing Eastbourne and not playing Wimbledon.

“I wouldn’t rule out not playing a tournament next week and trying to get matches like in an exhibition tournament, as well, to get ready for Wimbledon. I’m not sure yet.

“I’ll kind of need to wait and see what happens the next few days and chat with my team about that, because I don’t know exactly what’s best for me just now.”

Murray revealed he found it difficult to keep his emotions in check after such a long time on the sidelines.

“I was quite emotional after my practice today. It’s been such a long time. People have been saying it’s great to see you back,” he said.

“When I was close to getting over the line at the end of the match, emotions might have got in the way.”

– ‘Pretty nervous’ –

Frustrated by his failure to see off Kyrgios, he conceded he is still early in his attempt to return to peak form.

“It was a close decision (to play). I’ve not been practising loads at all. I’m happy I got out there and competed respectably,” he said.

“I was pretty nervous this morning. You don’t really know how you are going to perform.

“I thought I did ok, certainly could have done some stuff better.

“Physically I didn’t feel amazing, started to tired at the end. It was a good test for me after such a long time.

“The hip seemed to (hold up). Hopefully I’m not too sore.”

Watched by wife Kim and mum Judy, Murray was given a rousing reception as he walked onto the court and responded with a bashful wave to the crowd.

Murray had described his protracted rehabilitation, which featured only two exhibitions outings since Wimbledon last year, as the toughest spell of his career.

All the demons from those anxious medical updates and gruelling hours in the gym could finally be exorcised as Murray traded ground-strokes with Kyrgios from the baseline before capping the first point of his return with a cathartic forehand winner.

Inevitably labouring as the match passed two and a half hours, Murray refused to surrender to his aching body and dug deep to save two match points at 4-5.

But fatigue finally got the better of him when a tired double fault handed Kyrgios a win that leaves Murray to concentrate on building his stamina ahead of next month’s Wimbledon.