Dragomir outplays Yayuk

JAKARTA (JP): Upsets and surprises have loomed large at Wimbledon this year. As the giant killing spree continued with the early exit of French Open champion Yevgeny Kafelnikov on Tuesday, Indonesia's Yayuk Basuki was just a small addendum to the sorrowful tales.

But that was not Yayuk's excuse for her 7-6 (7-4), 5-7, 6-8 defeat by little-known Rumanian Ruxandra Dragomir, a clay court specialist.

The Indonesian world number 26, who reached the fourth round in the last four years, held three match points on her serve at 6-5 in the deciding set. A relaxed Dragomir, however, fought back with a flurry of passing shots from various angles to take the crucial game.

A frustrated Yayuk then unleashed a series of errors, and Dragomir strolled the all-important next two games without too much effort.

The loss was in contrast to Yayuk's tremendous run in the previous Grand Slam at Roland Garros. Playing on the disadvantageous clay, Yayuk reached the third round for the first time ever.

"I'm not disappointed with the outcome, because I have anticipated it. It was difficult to play an opponent of the same level while I was mentally drained," Yayuk said.

Yayuk, who reached the quarterfinals at Eastbourne last week, will see a slight drop in her computer ranking following her first-round defeat here. This, however, will not adversely affect her spot in the Olympic Games next month.

Her Wimbledon is not over, however, as she is due to compete in both the ladies doubles, with Caroline Vis of the United States, and the mixed doubles.

Yayuk is expected to lead the Indonesian team in a Fed Cup second-round playoff against Switzerland at home on July 13 and 14. (amd)