Fourth time lucky for Yayuk at Wimbledon?

Fourth time lucky for Yayuk at Wimbledon?

By Russel Barlow

JAKARTA (JP): Indonesia's Yayuk Basuki will make her fourth
attempt tomorrow to serve up a little piece of history for
herself at Wimbledon, the oldest and most revered tennis
tournament in the world.

Yayuk, who has compiled a remarkable record by reaching
Wimbledon's fourth round in four consecutive years, will become
the first Asian woman ever to reach Wimbledon's quarterfinals if
she advances. Yayuk and Naoko Sawamatsu of Japan are the only
Asian women in Wimbledon history to reach the fourth round of the
tournament.

Standing in her way is the towering Brenda Schultz-McCarthy.
The 15th seed, who is 6' 2" (1.88 meters), has the hardest serve
on the women's tour at 109 miles per hour. Schultz-McCarthy has
improved her mobility in the last year after losing 7 kilograms
and her ranking has risen to as high as 13 from the mid-30s last
year with her improved speed.

Schultz-McCarthy will be looking to celebrate her recent
marriage by becoming the first Dutch woman since Betty Stove in
1977 to advance past the fourth round.

Top players

Yayuk, whether she wins or loses tomorrow, has already proven
beyond doubt that she is one of the world's best grass court
players.

Her performances at both Wimbledon and Eastbourne, the
traditional warm-up tournament for Wimbledon, have been
exceptional. The Yogyakarta native's tally of victims on grass
courts includes many of the world's best players, among them Anke
Huber, Helena Sukova and the hapless Magdalena Maleeva, who
succumbed to Yayuk's elegant game in both 1993 and 1994.

At Eastbourne last week, Yayuk notched a new and impressive
scalp by defeating Zina Garrison-Jackson. The American veteran is
retiring this year but remains one of the best tacticians and
volleyers on grass. Ironically, Yayuk then lost to German
Christina Singer, who had also defeated Schultz-McCarthy in the
previous round.

An important confidence booster for Yayuk going into her clash
with Schultz-McCarthy is her win over Nathalie Tauziat of France
in the third round.

Tauziat had caused the biggest upset in the women's draw by
unseating reigning Australia Open champion Mary Pierce. Tauziat,
a former top twenty player whose ranking slid in the past year,
had enjoyed a purple patch in the last two weeks on grass by
winning Eastbourne.

Game plan

Yayuk can defeat Schultz-McCarthy if she is aggressive
throughout the match and picks her opportunities to attack.

Yayuk's backhand slice is extremely difficult to return on
fast grass and her service, with the shortest and quickest motion
of all women players except Conchita Martinez, is difficult for
opponents to judge.

Her lauded forehand is great for pouncing on the ball and
hitting winners but can often go astray. It is Yayuk's backhand,
a classic sliced shot in the tradition of Australian Evonne
Goolagong Cawley and German Bettina Bunge, the most naturally
gifted player I have ever seen, which is her main weapon on
grass.

Yayuk should slice to the corners to keep the tall Dutchwoman
on the run and come in to the net off short balls. The pressure
will be on Schultz-McCarthy to hit passing shots, and her
groundstrokes are the weakest component of her game.

The key to an Indonesian victory will be aggression through
advancing to the net to put away volleys. Yayuk is one of the few
women players who has an instinctive feel for volleying,
according to Russell Barlow, ATP Tour Consultant for the ATP Tour
World Doubles Championship in Jakarta this November.

"Yayuk's technique is sometimes a little off, but she
compensates because she is so athletic and has immense natural
talent," Barlow says.

Yayuk must also rein in her tendency to try for too much in
rallies and instead wait for the ideal opportunity. Her errors
can swell into a tidal wave as she becomes frustrated and she
should draw on the patience she displayed in beating Gabriela
Sabatini at the Fed Cup in Jakarta in May.

An interesting aspect of the match is that Yayuk and Schultz-
McCarthy are the last married women in the draw. Yayuk may well
see her photograph captioned "The Merriest Wife at Wimbledon" if
she can play to form against Schultz-McCarthy.

Russel Barlow is the ATP Tour World Doubles Championship
Consultant.