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In her second blog, Russian star Vera Dushevina gets hot - very hot - on her way to a quarter-final in Thailand.

I'm currently playing at a tournament in Pattaya, Thailand. And conditions here are, er, unusual to say the least! But I can't complain too much, because I'm still in the draw.

It's my first time at the event - and first time in Thailand too. I'd been warned by some of the other players to expect it to be very hot and steamy here, but I just brushed aside what they said. I mean, how bad could it be?

I'll tell you how bad: the players run around the court absolutely soaked to the skin in T-shirts, skirts, caps and trainers, while sitting in the stands are the spectators wearing swimming trunks, bikinis and flip-flops.

Okay, maybe not all of them, but most. Still, I can't complain: some of the spectators have been Russian, and have shouted out their encouragement to me during matches.

I actually played one of my fellow Russians, Elena Bovina, in the first round and though I won 6-4 7-5 it was really tricky - and not just because it was the first match of the event.

We know each other so well that it's always a tough match, and it all looked like it was going wrong for me when I went 3-5 down in the second set. But I managed to turn things round just in time and win the match.

Elena's serve made it difficult for me: she has lots of power and often gets aces, something I rarely do.

Yesterday, I beat Sybille Bammer of Austria, and it was 6-4 7-5 again. Last time I played her I lost - that was three years ago in Linz, Austria - but I came through this time in two long, difficult sets. Sybille's a left-hander who won this tournament a couple of years ago, but I got breaks just at the right time at the end of both sets to take the match.

So that means the quarter-final is coming up now, and I'll say it again: playing here is very tough. Because of the humidity you often need a quick break to change shirt, socks, shoes, get a towel filled with ice - all sorts of things.

You really are dripping wet, as if you're in a sauna - no, more like as if you've just climbed out of a swimming pool. Running around becomes a real effort, but you can't exactly avoid that during a match.

And yet during the second set yesterday the umpire told me to walk more quickly to and from the chair in between games! The cheek of it! There we were, on our last legs, barely able to play and he says something like that!

And considering that my opponent was pausing between every single point to use a towel to wipe her hands and racket, making me wait every time - I really didn't think it was a fair criticism.

Still, I made it through in any case, and that's the main thing: winning. As we say in Russia: those are the pies!

Vera Dushevina's blog will appear here every Thursday - check back next week for more of her insights into life on the road.

Vera Dushevina / Eurosport