Rung Khao Stuns Austrian to Reach Wimbledon Round 2, Faces World No. 1 Sabalenka for Prize Money of 5.5 Million Baht
Thai tennis player Rung Khao, 21, upset Austrian Lilly Tackett 2-1 to reach her first Wimbledon second round at the 2026 tournament in England. She'll face world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka next, with 5.5 million baht in prize money at stake.
Rung Khao (Lanlaa Tharavidee), a 21-year-old Thai tennis player ranked 99th in the world, delivered an outstanding performance by defeating Austria's Lilly Tackett 2-1 sets to reach the second round of Wimbledon for the first time at the 2026 Grand Slam tournament held in England on June 29.
Lanlaa became the fourth Thai female player to reach the main draw round of a Grand Slam after Tamarine Tanasugarn, Luksika Kumkhum, and Mananchaya Sawangkaew. The two players had previously met at the 2026 Australian Open in January, where Lanlaa dominated with a 2-0 set victory (6-3, 6-0).
This match saw both players compete at a high level. The first set went to a tiebreak where Lanlaa prevailed 7-6 (7-3) to take a 1-0 set lead. The second set was equally competitive until Tackett mounted a comeback to win 7-5, forcing a decisive third set.
The third set proved grueling before Lanlaa secured victory 6-4. She ultimately won the match 7-6 (7-3), 5-7, 6-4, making history as she advanced to the Wimbledon second round for the first time while earning approximately 5.5 million baht in prize money.
Lanlaa faces a tough challenge in her next match against world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus, who defeated Serbia's Teodora Kostovic (ranked 182nd) 2-0 sets.
