Defending champ Sunu faces Ocvirk challenges
Defending champ Sunu faces Ocvirk challenges
Zakki Hakim, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
Young Indonesian tennis star Sunu Wahyu Trijati is only one
step away from successfully defending his title in the 2004
Salonpas International Junior Tennis Championships, after he
defeated compatriot Elbert Sie 7-5, 6-3 in their semifinal match
at the Kemayoran Tennis Center on Friday.
Sunu, the fifth seed the tournament, has second seed Luka
Ocvirk, of Slovenia, to tackle in Saturday's final.
Ocvirk beat seventh seed Takanobu Fujii of Japan 7-6 (7/2), 1-
6, 6-2, to secure his place.
It was a tight semifinal encounter between Sunu and Elbert,
particularly in the first set. Neither players lost service until
in the eleventh game in which Sunu managed to break Elbert before
holding onto his own to win 7-5.
The second set was more favorable to Sunu, as he immediately
took a convincing 3-1 lead. Elbert tried hard, closing the gap to
a game at 4-3, but Sunu didn't let him get any further than that.
However, it was not an easy run for the defending champion as
Elbert stayed resilient until the end, when it seemed poor
concentration cost him the match.
In the ninth game, at 30-30, Elbert made double fault, giving
Sunu a match point. A crossed backhand volley in front of the net
ended Elbert's run at 6-3.
Looking ahead to his Ocvirk match, Sunu said his opponent
would be tough, particularly as the Slovenian had a 17cm height
advantage -- at 185cm tall to Sunu's 168cm.
"However, I will play a tactical game early on against Ocvirk
and see if it works," Sunu told The Jakarta Post.
Both being baseline players, the match would likely be a
battle of long drives, Sunu said.
"I'll do my best to win the match tomorrow," he said, adding
that the Saturday meeting would be their first.
A match between hot contenders will also decide the winner in
the girls' singles, with top seed Hsu Wen-Hsin of Taiwan to meet
second seed Pichitra Tongdach of Thailand.
Hsu outplayed fourth seed Nicole Thijssen of the Netherlands
6-2, 6-0 in the semifinals, while Tongdach overwhelmed third seed
Tatjana Malek of Germany 7-5, 6-4.