Indonesia loses 0-3 to Kiwis in Davis Cup tie
Indonesia loses 0-3 to Kiwis in Davis Cup tie
JAKARTA (JP): Indonesia lost to New Zealand 0-3 in the second
day of the Davis Cup Asia/Oceania Zone Group I second round at
the Senayan tennis court yesterday.
Bonit Wiryawan/Sulistyo Wibowo, dubbed the best doubles in
Asia, failed to overcome New Zealand's Alistair Hunt/James
Greenhalgh and lost 3-6, 4-6, 6-3, 3-6 in a nearly three-hour
match.
New Zealand's nonplaying captain, Jeff Simpson, said he had
considered playing Hunt instead of Glenn Wilson.
"Alistair has played several times in Davis Cup ties and he's
very experienced. He is the most experienced on our team. I
didn't put his name on the original team because I thought it
would be impossible for him to play three matches with the heat,"
he said.
"Wilson/Greenhalgh are also a good team, but in the Davis Cup
we need more experienced players," he added.
Barracked by around 400 spectators, Bonit/Sulistyo began the
match with a shaky start. They were hardly able to handle big
serves from the New Zealanders. They lost easily 3-6 in only 15
minutes.
In the second set, Hunt/Greenhalgh led 3-1 before the
Indonesians took one point to trail 3-2. But Bonit/Sulistyo
failed to return Greenhalgh's smash, which allowed New Zealand to
lead 4-2.
The national duo crawled back and scored 3-4. They also broke
Hunt's serve to equalize at 4-4.
But less-experienced Bonit/Sulistyo spoiled their advantage in
serving after Sulistyo's forehand hit the net and gave the game
to the Kiwis 5-4.
Greenhalgh's winning service gave a 6-4 win to New Zealand.
In the third set, Bonit/Sulistyo fought from behind by giving
all they had to lead 4-1. But the New Zealanders trailed 3-4. The
Indonesians concluded the set at 6-3 after Greenhalgh failed to
return Sulistyo's service.
Local spectators, including the Indonesia Tennis Association,
shouted, cheered and clapped for the winning set. "Indonesia ...
Indonesia ... yes ..." was shouted around the stadium.
But in the fourth set, Bonit/Sulistyo failed to repeat their
previous winning. Hunt/Greenhalgh led 5-2 before the Indonesians
took another point at 3-5.
The New Zealanders concluded the match after Greenhalgh's
forehand hit the ball to the back of the court. The 22-year-old
Greenhalgh raised both hands to celebrate New Zealand's victory.
Qualifying
New Zealand will proceed to the World Group qualifying round.
"Indonesia played well and the match was very exciting, but
the power of New Zealand players are ... so much different," said
Simpson at a post-match conference.
"They (Bonit/Sulistyo) need to learn to hit the ball harder.
But they played well and good in front of the net," said
Greenhalgh.
Indonesia's nonplaying captain, Atet Wijono, said even though
Bonit/Sulistyo were the best in Asia, they still need more
experience to play against the world's top players.
"I rarely compete in international tournaments and I admit I
was surprised to see how hard their serves were," said the 29-
year-old Bonit.
"We couldn't return their serves, especially in the first set.
It's a shock to meet big-serve players because we're only
familiar with Asian-type players," said the 28-year-old Sulistyo.
Wimar Witoelar, chairman of the association's National Team
Board, said the board will send its members to play in more
international tournaments.
"We'll reduce training frequency, but will play more in
European and American tours," said Wimar.
Atet said he would field the best players to play all-out
today, which is scheduled to start at 10 a.m. Simpson indicated
that New Zealand substitutes will play, without mentioning names.
(yan)