Indonesia gives a point to Lebanon
Indonesia gives a point to Lebanon
Musthofid, The Jakarta Post, Surabaya
Lebanon managed to avoid a whitewash defeat from Indonesia in
their Davis Cup tie after Patrick Chucri beat Febi Widhiyanto 6-
2, 7-6 (7-5) in their second match in Surabaya on Sunday.
Earlier Suwandi pounded seven aces to overpower inexperienced
Fadi Youssef 6-0, 6-0 to put Indonesia in a 4-0 lead in Group One
of the Asia-Oceania zone, before Chucri rewarded his team a
consolation win.
The 4-1 win made it 1-1 against Lebanon. The team lost in its
visit to Beirut in 1998, which condemned Indonesia into Group
Two.
The win also earned the players a Rp 50 million (US$5,000)
cash from East Java Governor Imam Utomo. A total of Rp 10 million
from the ticket sales went to W.R. Supratman Institution, a
social foundation named after the late Indonesian composer who
composed the Indonesia Raya national anthem.
Back to the court, although it did not count anymore, Chucri
displayed an entertaining tennis performance with his accurate
and powerful shots from the back. He could also withstand the
searing heat on the Sawo Embong Hardcourts.
At the other end, accuracy deserved Febi, compounded with his
inability to fight back at the right moment. Febi, along with
Bonit Wiryawan, was the survivor of the 1998 Indonesian team.
"I learnt from his match with Ali (Hamadeh) on the opening
day. Febi had a good passing shot. Today I tried to play at the
back to counter his shots, and he somehow fell into the ploy,"
Chucri said during a press conference.
His captain Raymond Kattoura said he was relieved that they
could take a point in the tie.is getting better and better. And I
guess this is good for our preparation ahead of our next match,"
he said.
Lebanon will face the loser from the Uzbekistan-South Korea
match in Tashkent.
Chucri broke Febi at the start and made two aces in the third
for a 3-0 lead. Febi broke back but the 21-year-old Lebanese
almost promptly responded with another break to close out the
first set.
The second set appeared tougher which forced the set to extend
to tiebreaks. Febi was the first side falling behind against the
blistering shots from Chukri, before the former steadied his
paces.
But Febi, although he was once two points up, could not hold
on during the tiebreaks, going down 5-7.
Febi admitted to being upset by the defeat. "I had expected to
win. But, as you saw from my first match, I looked to make a slow
start. Unluckily today, I failed to accelerate my game.
"I fell entrapped by his play," he said.
Indonesian captain Tintus Arianto Wibowo said: "We had hoped
to take all the matches. But Febi could not wrap it up the second
time. I does not mean he was under from. It was just his opponent
fared better today."
In the first match on the day, Suwandi needed only half an
hour to brush aside 24-year-old Fadi Youssef.
The Indonesian number one player, who is 292 on the world
rankings, produced a love game twice in the opening set and three
times in the second. He also allowed just as many as 13 points
during the whole play.