Angie blames hectic schedule for dismal run<\/p>\n
The Jakarta Post, Jakarta<\/p>\n
A hectic play schedule has been blamed for Angelique 'Angie'
\nWidjaja's dismal run in the 2003 season, which has seen her
\nsingles' world ranking drop from a career high 55 to the current
\n73.<\/p>\n
Angie will have played 25 tournaments when she defends her
\ntitle at the Volvo Women's Open in Pattaya, Thailand, early
\nNovember.<\/p>\n
However, her doubles ranking has equaled her best of 20 after
\nshe and Emmanuelle Gagliardi of Switzerland reached Tashkent's
\nsemifinals last week.<\/p>\n
The number of tournaments turned out to be more than she could
\ncope with in her singles' campaign.<\/p>\n
"I toured Europe for nine weeks before returning home for the
\nFed Cup (in July). But I have hardly been able to take a break
\nsince then with tournaments in the United States," Angie told
\nreporters after an announcement of her sponsorship with sports
\napparel maker Adidas here on Thursday.<\/p>\n
After rounding 2002 with a victory in Pattaya, Angie entered
\nthe 2003 season with high hopes of breaking into a place in the
\nworld's top 50.<\/p>\n
But the second round appears all that she could reach in her
\ntournament stops, the latest being the Dubai Open, where she fell
\nto Eva Birnerova in the second round.<\/p>\n
Her best performance was at the Wismilak tournament in
\nSeptember where she advanced to the quarterfinals before going
\ndown to Saori Obata of Japan.<\/p>\n
Angie said that she had lost confidence particularly in recent
\ntournaments.<\/p>\n
"I seemed scared. But I don't know what I was scared about. I
\nfelt it worst in Japan and Tashkent," she said.<\/p>\n
She lost to Yuka Yoshida of Japan 4-6, 5-7 in the first round
\nin Japan and went down to Lioudmila Skavronskaia of Russia 6-
\n7(3), 1-6 in second round in Tashkent.<\/p>\n
Looking ahead for next year's season, coach Deddy Tedjamukti
\nsaid that they would probably plan for Angie to play in as many
\nas 22 tournaments.<\/p>\n
"We are looking for a break for her to take a rest at home
\nbetween tournaments," Deddy said.<\/p>\n
Being unable to finish in the top 10 seemed to disappoint
\nAngie but the 17-year-old was trying to be positive about it.<\/p>\n
"It's disappointing. But hopefully that will motivate me to
\nimprove my next game.<\/p>\n
"And I feel better now after following a training regime this
\nweek. I have regained my shots," said Angie, who had opted for a
\nten-day training camp in Scottsdale, Arizona, early December
\ninstead of joining the Indonesian sporting delegation for the
\nSoutheast Asian (SEA) Games in Vietnam.<\/p>\n
Asked about her Pattaya's defense campaign, Angie said that
\nshe would not be too preoccupied by a feeling of having to win.<\/p>\n
"I will simply be trying to improve my play," she said.<\/p>\n
While she is faltering in the singles, she has fared modestly
\nin the doubles to reach the top 20.<\/p>\n
Most of Angie's wins this year were when she paired up with
\nher permanent partner, Maria Vento-Kabchi of Venezuela. They
\nreached the final in Toronto and won Bali's title. They also
\nreached the quarterfinals in Wimbledon and the US Open.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/angie-blames-hectic-schedule-for-dismal-run-1447893297",
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