Familiar Davis Cup team announced for China tie<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): Indonesia refused to gamble yesterday when it
\nreappointed Andrian Raturandang, Febi Widhiyanto, Sulistyo Wibowo
\nand Bonit Wiryawan for the Davis Cup Asia Oceania Zone Group I
\nsecond playoff match against China next month.<\/p>\n
National team manager Benny Mailili said upon announcing the
\nunsurprising package yesterday that the quartet were chosen based
\non a set of criteria, including ATP rankings, physical fitness,
\nmental preparedness and their performances during the national
\ntrials last month.<\/p>\n
Two other national players, Surya Wijaya and Sebastian da
\nCosta, failed to qualify for the Davis Cup team.<\/p>\n
The playoff, scheduled from Sep. 25 to Sep. 27 in China, will
\nbe a do-or-die match for both China and Indonesia because the
\nloser will have to play a qualifying match for a place in the
\nzone group next year.<\/p>\n
The quartet named yesterday lost to Lebanon in the first
\nplayoff in Beirut last month, but chairman of the Indonesian
\nTennis Association Sarwono Kusumaatmadja said his players would
\novercome the Chinese challenge.<\/p>\n
\"The Chinese are not as strong as they used to be years ago.
\nIf we fail to beat them, how can we expect to have a say in the
\nAsian Games?\" he said.<\/p>\n
A victory over China would open up a chance for the team to
\ncompete in the 13th Asian Games in December. The National Sports
\nCouncil has listed Yakuk Basuki, ranked number 37 in the world,
\nas the only tennis player to represent Indonesia in the games.<\/p>\n
Benny said both Sebastian and Surya could be recruited as
\nstand-ins if any of the four players were injured.<\/p>\n
Coach Deddy Prasetyo, also non-playing captain, said that
\nSurya was the player most likely to be called upon if any of the
\nplayers were unable to play.<\/p>\n
The association's deputy secretary-general, Subiyanto, said
\nthe National Sports Council would start a centralized training
\nprogram on Sept. 1 in the last phase of preparations for the
\nAsiad.<\/p>\n
He also said the association has suggested that its the East
\nJava branch try to persuade the cigarette company Wismilak to
\nsponsor the national championships.<\/p>\n
The company had committed itself to sponsoring a WTA tier
\nthree tournament here which was later canceled for security
\nreasons.<\/p>\n
Earlier yesterday, the tennis body named three boys and three
\ngirls in the team for the World Junior Tennis Championships to be
\nheld in Nagoya, Japan, from Aug. 26 to Aug. 30.<\/p>\n
Naharuddin, Eko Kurniawan and Fandy Suyadi will line up the
\nboys' team, while Angelique Wijaya, Novianti Warsono, Diana
\nJulianto won the places in the girls' team. (yan)<\/p>",
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