Angie suffers double loss to Loit in Canberra
Angie suffers double loss to Loit in Canberra
Musthofid, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
Despite brimming with confidence, Indonesia's Angelique Widjaja
was defeated by Emilie Loit of France in the second round of the
US$110,000 Canberra Classic women's tennis tournament on
Wednesday.
To complete Indonesian woe, Angie, teaming up with Argentinean
Clarisa Fernandez, had to abandon her women's doubles hopes,
crashing out to Loit and Tathiana Garbin.
"Angie lost her singles' match against Loit 4-6, 4-6 in an
hour and 35 minutes," Angie's manager Virginia Rusli said.
Coach Deddy Tedjamukti said Angie lost to a player who put in
a better performance than her on the day.
"Particularly with her serve, Loit played good serves
throughout. At the crucial moment, Angie often flopped," Deddy
said on angeliquewidjaja.com.
According to a match report released to The Jakarta Post,
Angie and Loit were involved in a roller-coaster match in which
the two players took turns leading.
Angie trailed in the opening set before catching up and taking
the lead. After being overtaken at 2-3 she was back in the lead
only to relinquish and drop the set.
In the second set, the Indonesian, who is currently ranked 72
in the world compared to Loit's 58, won the first two games.
However, at 4-3 she could not hold on and lost the match.
With Fernandez, Angie also went out to the Frenchwoman, paired
with Italian Garbin, 6-3, 2-6, 6-7 (5).
Meanwhile, wild weather wreaked havoc on the Sydney
International on Wednesday, with some of the top Australian Open
hopefuls battling through stifling heat, gale-force winds and an
electrical storm, Reuters reported.
Most of the top players, including last year's Australian Open
finalist Marat Safin, survived temperatures that soared to 45
degrees Celsius but the storms that followed claimed some big-
name victims.
Safin, playing just after noon, staged a mighty comeback to
beat Finnish Jarkko Nieminen 3-6, 6-1, 6-2.
World number 10 Andy Roddick was sent packing 7-6, 7-5 by
Korean qualifier Lee Hyung-taik after the 110 kph gusts turned
their match into a farce.
Bulgaria's Magdalena Maleeva, the women's eighth seed, also
made an early exit after the weather turned foul, losing to
Amanda Coetzer 6-4 6-1.
Carlos Moya, the former world number one now ranked five, was
knocked out by the 83rd-listed Mardy Fish, squandering a 4-2 lead
in the final set and serving double-faults on the last two points
to hand the American a 7-6, 4-6, 6-4 win.
Last year's runner-up Juan Ignacio Chela also bowed out late
at night, losing 6-7, 6-4, 6-4 to South African Wayne Ferreira.
French Open finalist Juan Carlos Ferrero and Belgian Fed Cup
teammates Kim Clijsters and Justine Henin-Hardenne also survived
to make it through to the quarterfinals.
In Melbourne, Australian powerhouse Mark Philippoussis ground
out a 5-7, 6-4, 7-6 victory over former world number two Alex
Corretja at Kooyong on Wednesday.
Andre Agassi spent less time on court, beating Swede Thomas
Enqvist 7-6, 6-3 as he fine tunes his aggressive baseline game
before heading into the Open as second seed.
Agassi will face French 16-year-old Richard Gasquet in the
next stage of the round robin warm-up event after he beat Younes
El Aynaoui -- seeded 18th at next week's Open -- 7-6, 6-3.
In the final match of the day, France's Sebastien Grosjean
beat Xavier Malisse 2-6, 6-4, 1-0 when the Belgian withdrew with
a left calf muscle strain.
Separately in Auckland, New Zealand, rain wiped out any chance
of singles play in the second round of the Auckland Open on
Wednesday.
The Stanley Street courts were awash with water from early
morning rain, which continued throughout the day.
Doubles matches were switched to an indoor venue, while the
singles will resume on Thursday, weather permitting.