Angie and Febi clinch Cigna Open singles title
Angie and Febi clinch Cigna Open singles title
JAKARTA (JP): Indonesia's young talent Angelique Widjaja
outclassed senior player Wukirasih Sawondari 4-6, 6-0, 6-3 to win
the women's singles title at the 2001 Cigna Open Colors of Life
tennis tournament on Saturday.
Another young victor was Febi Widhiyanto who crushed veteran
player Suhendar Dinata 4-6, 6-1, 6-0 in the men's singles final
of the tournament, which offers a total of Rp 50 million in prize
money.
But with partner Andrian Raturandang, Febi failed to add to
his prize money after losing the men's doubles event 4-6, 7-5, 5-
7 to Edy Kusdaryanto and Ferdi Fauzi.
Partnering Dea Sumantri, Angie also won the women's doubles
event on Friday after they overcame the Eny Sulistyowati and Liza
Andriani combination 4-6, 6-1, 6-2.
Angie, Angelique's nickname, said that after losing the first
set she changed her strategy.
"Wukir (as Wukirasih is commonly called) plays very well on
gravel courts. She has a spin and lob shoot which I find
difficult to return. But at the end of the first set I tried to
move ahead and took the initiative to attack," she told a post-
match conference here.
She said that her next goal includes entering the world top 10
and top 15 in the junior doubles and singles rankings.
"In the senior ranks I will try to crack the world top 500
this year," said the 16-year-old player.
To achieve this, Angie's Asian junior tour will commence in
Singapore after March.
Wukir praised Angie's performances, saying that her junior was
able to escape psychological barriers to win the match.
"In the first set Angie was too nervous, so I could easily
return her shots. But at the end of the first set, she became
brave enough to try to catch up with me.
"Finally, Angie recovered her self-confidence and I began to
face difficulties in returning her shots. She fired very hard and
accurately. I tried to improve on my performance in the first set
and Angie seemed to be nervous again, but the score margin was
too wide," she said.
She also admitted that she was not well-prepared for the
tournament.
Febi said that he was too hasty in the first set and gave
Dede, Suhendar's nickname, opportunities to win points.
"I led 4-1 in the first set but I was in a rush to end the
game quickly. Dede is a tough player and I need to be patient to
be able to beat him," he said.
Angie pocketed home Rp 2.8 million (US$295) while Wukir earned
Rp 1.6 million. Febi bagged home Rp 4.3 million while Dede got Rp
2.5 million. Men's doubles champion Edy and Ferdy received Rp 1.8
million while runners-up shared Rp 1.09 million. (ivy)