Angelique sets out for European tour

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Indonesian tennis ace Angelique 'Angie' Widjaja headed for Europe on Wednesday with the aim of breaking into the world's top 50 by the end of the year, her manager said on Thursday.

Virginia Rusli said Angie, now ranked 63 in the WTA Tour, would play in seven tournaments in Europe, beginning with the Telecom Italia Masters on May 12.

"We can't predict how many points she will collect from the tour. Angie will try to play well for the world's top 50 goal," she told The Jakarta Post in Jakarta.

Angie will be accompanied by her trainer Deddy Tedjamukti, who was upbeat about his protege's prospects.

"Playing against European players, who have power and endurance, is not a new experience for Angie. She has managed to beat a number of top European players, including Anna Kournikova (of Russia).

"Angie is in top form and is ready to take on the Europeans. I hope she will succeed," Deddy said in a statement, copies of which was made available to the media on Thursday.

In the same statement, Angie said: "I beg for the support of Indonesian people. I will try hard for the sake of the nation."

The other tournaments on the list include the Open de Espana in Madrid, the French Open, the DFS Classic in Birmingham, the Ordia Open in the Netherlands and the Wimbledon.

After Wimbledon, Angie will return to Jakarta to contest the Federation Cup play-offs between Indonesia and Germany in July, before setting out for an American tour.