Angelique continues Bali winning streak
Angelique continues Bali winning streak
NUSA DUA, Bali (Agencies): Indonesia's Angelique Widjaja smashed her way to the semifinals of the US$170,000 Wismilak International tennis tournament Friday, sending second-seeded Tamarine Tanasugarn of Thailand packing.
The 16-year-old Wimbledon junior champion Widjaja came from behind to eliminate Tamarine 2-6, 7-5, 6-2 through a grueling 90- minute match.
"I'm happy with this victory. That is merely a God's blessing," said Angelique, who reached the quarterfinals after her opponent Alicia Molik of Australia retired with a flu.
Angelique, the lone Indonesian player left in the draw, next faces her long rival, Hsieh Su Wei of Taiwan, who made it easily to the best-of-four round by disposing of Shinobu Asagoe of Japan, 6-1, 6-4.
It will be the tenth encounter between Angelique and Hsieh with a 5-4 win margin in favor of the Indonesian. A win could take Angelinque to a much-awaited final showdown against top seeded Arantxa Sanchez-Vicario of Spain.
Sanchez-Vicario was taken to the limit before overcoming Rita Grande of Italy 7-6, 4-6, 6-3 in another quarterfinal match on Friday.
In Hong Kong, Davis Cup doubles partners Jonas Bjorkman and Magnus Larsson suffered a pair of Swedish singles setbacks as both were sent out in straight sets of the $400,000 Hong Kong Open.
Less than a week after playing on the Davis Cup team that lost to Australia in Sydney in the semifinals, the pair was sent packing at the Victoria Park stadium.
Brazil's unheralded Andre Sa did the damage to sixth seed Bjorkman, knocking out the Scandinavian 6-1, 6-3.
Flamboyant Andrew Ilie kept his showmanship to a minimum and concentrated on the task at hand in his 6-3, 6-3 victory over Larsson, who was playing in his first quarter-final of a dismal and injury-plagued season.
Ilie's victory improved his career mark against Larsson, who was away from tennis from last August until this April after knee surgery, to 2-0.
The 25-year-old Romanian-born Aussie beat the Swede at home in Bastad at the Swedish Open on clay in July.
In later matches to complete the semifinal lineup on hard- court, top seed Juan Carlos Ferrero of Spain was facing German Rainer Schuttler and eighth-seeded Marcelo Rios of Chile was taking on Frenchman Sebastien Grosjean, the tournament's third seed.
Grosjean will be competing in his seventh quarterfinal of the year after ousting another Chilean, Rios' Davis Cup teammate, Nicolas Massu.
The Frenchman, who reached the Australian Open semifinals, is aiming to reignite his seasons after missing the summer with an ankle in plaster and only re-starting at the US Open.
"I wasn't in good shape there," he confessed.
"I have to tape my ankle, but everyday it gets better and better."
Grosjean said he is enjoying a contrast in weather between autumn in Europe and the Hong Kong's warm days at this time of year.
"It's not really hot, but it's humid," he said. "I spent three weeks in Europe where it's 10 degrees and raining. It's completely different, but I'm getting used to it."