Benny and Yayuk fall in Asian Games tennis semis
Benny and Yayuk fall in Asian Games tennis semis
HIROSHIMA, Japan (Agencies): Asian Games tennis downfall
continued smashing Indonesian camp yesterday as both its top
players Yayuk Basuki and Benny Wijaya were dumped out of the
singles semifinals.
Women's singles third-seeded Yayuk ended her run at the Asian
Games as she had planned when she lost to Japan's top seeded and
hot favorite Kimiko Date 0-6, 7-5, 0-6, and gave way to an all-
Japanese final. Yayuk, ranked 27th in the world, was in the
losing Indonesian team against Japan in the women's team final on
Monday.
World number 10 Date plays compatriot Naoko Sawamatsu, a 6-1,
6-3 winner over China's Chen Li, in the final today. In the
absence of Date, world number 25 Sawamatsu spearheaded the
Japanese squad strolled to a gold medal.
Earlier yesterday, Benny, who led a beaten men's team against
top seeded India on Tuesday, gave up easily to second ranked Pan
Bing of China 3-6, 3-6.
The defeats confirmed that both Yayuk and Benny will leave the
Games with bronze medals.
India, however, was the most upset side yesterday when its
Davis Cup hero Leander Paes crashed out of the men's singles in a
shock lost 7-6, 4-6, 5-7 to sixth-seeded South Korean Yoon Yong-
il after a fierce struggle lasting two hours and 35 minutes on
the wind-swept center court.
Paes denied the pressure of playing a singles and doubles
match for the last three days had told in the end.
"I was not tired, I just lost my touch," he said. " Gaurav
(Natekar) took the pressure off me in the doubles, so there were
no worries there.
"But you are on your own in the singles. You've got to do your
own thing. I just faded away."
Paes, who conceded just four games in two previous singles
matches, lost his touch against the steady Korean.
His trademark lobs and crosscourt returns were often just out
as Yoon kept the Indian serve and volley specialist on the
baseline for the entire match.
Both players broke each serve once in the first set to take it
into a tie-breaker which Paes won 7-2.
Hit back
But Yoon hit back by breaking Paes in the opening game of the
second set and held his own for the remainder of the set to edge
ahead 6-4.
A 50-minute interruption due to rain at the start of the third
set gave Paes a chance to get himself together but his touch
never returned.
He double faulted in the 11th game of the third set to trail
5-6, and a determined Yoon served out the match after saving five
break points.
The 21-year-old Paes, who led India to the men's team title
last week, retained hopes of winning his second gold medal with
Davis Cup doubles partner Gaurav Natekar.
They formed a solid partnership to dump out Indonesia's Donny
Susetyo and Teddy Tanjung Paes-G.Natekar 4-6, 7-6 (8-6), 6-2 in
the doubles semifinals. The top-seeded Indian pair now meet South
Korea's Chang Eui-jong and Kim Chi-wan who overcame toppled Pan
Bing and Xia Jiaping of China 7-6 (7-5), 7-6 (10-8).
In the women's doubles final, number one seeds Kyoko Nagatsuka
and Ai Sugiyama of Japan will meet Chen Li and Li Fang.
Nagatsuka and Sugiyama beat South Korea's Park Sung-hae and
Choi Ju-Yeon while Li and Chen downed another Japanese pair, Mana
Endo and Nana Miyagi, in the other semi-final.