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)