Angie sees tougher task in Wismilak defense
Musthofid The Jakarta Post Jakarta
Angelique Widjaja, who is ranked 75 in the WTA Tour, is anticipating potentially tougher matches than last year as she prepares to defend her Wismilak Open championship in Bali in September.
"Being the defending champion, it will be a harder task for me than last year," she told reporters during the signing of a multi-year contract with PT Sara Lee Indonesia here on Wednesday.
The Wismilak Open, which is part of the 2002 Sanex WTA Tour, will run from Sept. 22 to Sept. 29. And she will have a different status -- she is more popular now -- when she takes to the court.
Last year, she participated in the tournament only as a wildcard holder. But she built an impressive run toward her victory over Joannette Kruger of South Africa in the final.
This time around, she is a champion and she said there would be a bit more psychological pressure to endure during the competition.
"People say to defend is more difficult than to challenge. But I'm confident about my prospects because I have commitment in tennis. I want to play my best for myself, parents and Indonesia," she said.
"I want to become a tennis model in Indonesia," added Angie, who stars in a commercial ads promoting Sanex Body Wash, a product by PT Sara Lee Indonesia.
About his protege's chances at this year's Wismilak Open, coach Deddy Tedjamukti said that he could not appraise the odds as yet pending the release of the participants' last.
"I can't speak about Angie's chances at the moment because I have yet to know who will be in the tournament. But I can say she should be able to reach the quarterfinals at least," he said.
The WTA officials are expected to announce the Wismilak Open roster in the middle of August, according to the organizing committee.
The Wismilak Open will be the last of the remaining six tournaments Angie will have done this year before she heads to Busan, South Korea later in September, to join the Indonesian contingent in the Asian Games.
"This will be my first opportunity to play for Indonesia in the Asian Games. I'm very enthusiastic about the challenge," Angie said when asked if she would scrap the Asian Games in order to be completely focused on the Bali event.
"I'm an Indonesian, and I'm keen to represent Indonesia at the Asian Games," she said, while adding that she would vie for a top 50 place in the WTA rankings next year.
The Wismilak Open, which offers a total of US$225,000 in cash prizes, will also see Angie team up with fellow Indonesian Wynne Prakusya in the doubles, a move which could be seen as a rehearsal ahead of their Busan trip.