Talent scouts head for junior tournament<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): The Thamrin Cup Junior Tennis Championships this
\nyear will reinstate the 18-year-old age group to scout talent for
\nimportant tournaments, an organizer said.<\/p>\n
\"The age of 18 is the right time to develop junior players.
\nThe more competitions are held, the more juniors will have
\nchances to develop their skills,\" said Mangombar Ferdinand
\nSiregar of the Jakarta tennis association, the organizer of the
\nannual tournament.<\/p>\n
The championships, to be staged at the Kemayoran Tennis Center
\nfrom June 8 to June 16, will be divided into five age groups: 10,
\n12, 14, 16 and 18. The last division was last contested in 1992.<\/p>\n
The winners of each age group -- in both singles and doubles,
\nand boys and girls -- will qualify for the Sosro Cup
\ninternational tournament, scheduled right after the Thamrin Cup.
\nMore than 100 players from 12 countries, mostly in Southeast
\nAsia, have confirmed their participation in the Sosro Cup.<\/p>\n
About 100 tennis players from Jakarta, Aceh, West Java and
\nCentral Java, have registered for the Thamrin Cup.<\/p>\n
\"We expect about 1,000 juniors to take part in the
\nchampionships, which will be staged during the school holidays,\"
\ntournament director August Raturandang said.<\/p>\n
Siregar said Indonesia's home defeats in the Davis Cup and Fed
\nCup hurt national tennis.<\/p>\n
The Davis Cup team lost to South Korea in February and to
\nChina in March. The Fed Cup team was whipped by Belgium in April.<\/p>\n
Siregar said Indonesian tennis players are excellent as
\njuniors but seem to lose their skill when they become seniors.<\/p>\n
Siregar supported the Indonesian Tennis Association's idea of
\nholding a selection tournament to pick players to don the
\nnational colors in international tournaments.<\/p>\n
Rebel player Benny Wijaya, a former top player, said the
\nselection is a fair way to form the national team. He said,
\nhowever, that he would miss it due to club commitments.<\/p>\n
Benny has extended his two-year contract with a Taiwanese club
\nfor one more season.<\/p>\n
\"I'm sorry, but I have to return to Taiwan tomorrow,\" he said.<\/p>\n
However, former Davis Cupper Benny expressed his hope that
\nsomeday he can rejoin the national team for international events.
\nBenny will play for Jakarta in the National Games here this
\nSeptember. (yan)<\/p>",
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