Top seed eases into next round of tennis tourney<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): Top seed and defending champion Paul Haarhuis of
\nthe Netherlands encountered no trouble making it to the second
\nround of the Indosiar Men's Open tennis championships here
\nyesterday, dispatching Kris Goosens of Belgium 6-2, 6-1.<\/p>\n
Haarhuis, who has risen to his career-high ranking of 19,
\nenjoyed a warm-up which lasted an hour and 10 minutes against
\n91st-ranked Goosens.<\/p>\n
"I never thought it would be that easy," Haarhuis told
\nreporters after the match. "I played very well today, but
\nunfortunately he (Goosens) made many mistakes so the match went
\nvery quickly."<\/p>\n
The title holder made Goosens run non-stop, pinning him on his
\nback court to go smoothly to a commanding 5-1 lead. Holding his
\nserve, the Belgian survived a game point twice before his
\nblasting ace earned him his second game of the set.<\/p>\n
Goosens was forced to struggle harder in the second set which
\nsaw Haarhuis increase the pressure. The Belgian saved his game
\nfollowing a brave approach to the net, but only after Haarhuis
\nhad pulled ahead to 4-0.<\/p>\n
Haarhuis sealed the match with another break, thanks in part
\nto a series of unforced errors made by Goosens. The Dutchman will
\nnow meet Chris Wilkinson of Britain in the second round.<\/p>\n
Haarhuis' compatriot and doubles partner Jacco Eltingh also
\nlost only three games in his opening match against Frederic
\nVitoux of France.<\/p>\n
The latest singles match, Morrocan Younes El Aynaoui put his
\nclose friendship aside to beat compatriot Karim Alami in a
\nfrenetic duel between two giantkillers.<\/p>\n
El Aynaoui beat Austrian world number three Thomas Muster in
\nthe Qatar Open semifinal in Doha last week, while Alami scored
\nhis biggest win in the same event last year by beating world
\nnumber one Pete Sampras.<\/p>\n
El Aynaoui, fresh from his first final appearance at the Qatar
\nOpen last week, battled it out for a 7-6 (7-5), 6-2 win.<\/p>\n
An overseas invasion might describe Indonesia's first-round
\nflop at the annual tournament yesterday, serving as a warning
\nprior to the Davis Cup clash against South Korea next month.<\/p>\n
National number one Sulistyo Wibowo, a late wildcard recipient
\nwho replaced Ronald Agenor of Haiti, threw away his flawless
\nstart and lost 6-3, 3-6, 0-6 to Herbert Wiltschnig of Austria.<\/p>\n
In the following match, Andrian Raturandang forced his Briton
\nopponent Wilkinson to flex his muscle in the second set before
\nlosing 2-6, 4-6.<\/p>\n
Suwandi, Indonesia's strongest contender for the Davis Cup
\nteam, wasted eight match points in his 6-2, 6-7 (9-11), 5-7 loss
\nto Mauricio Hadad of Colombia on Monday. Another Davis Cupper,
\nEddy Kusdaryanto, was edged out in the qualifying round opener.<\/p>\n
National coach Deddy Prasetyo quickly grasped what his boys
\nneed to do to avoid a Davis Cup nightmare at home. "I worry about
\ntheir low standard of fitness. My players need a qualified
\nphysical coach to improve their endurance," said Deddy, who is
\nalso a consultant to the national team.<\/p>\n
Indonesia will host South Korea in the Asia Oceania Zone Davis
\nCup duel from Feb. 9 to 11, when two national team members will
\nbe fasting for the Moslem fasting month of Ramadhan.<\/p>\n
Sulistyo's performance was a carbon copy of his teammate
\nSuwandi's game on Monday. The hard serving Indonesian engaged in
\na power play in the first set, but lacked the energy to fuel his
\nnew charges.<\/p>\n
Smarting from a first set down, the Austrian qualifier steered
\nthe match from his baseline with his consistent strokes while
\nwaiting for Sulistyo to drill unnecessary mistakes. (05)<\/p>",
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