Indonesia on brink of Davis Cup abyss

JAKARTA (JP): China sent visiting Indonesia to the verge of the tennis wilderness after sweeping the first two singles matches in their Davis Cup Asia Oceania second playoff in Yan Jin City on Friday.

Drama ran high during the crucial match between two of Asia's former tennis powers when Indonesia's second singles player Feby Widhiyanto lost to Chinese number one Zhang Yu in a marathon five setter. Both players were treated for cramp during the match.

Zhang came from behind to win 1-6, 2-6, 6-4, 6-1, 7-5 and give his team a 1-0 lead.

Zheng Yu Li wrapped up the day with an easy 6-3, 6-2, 6-2 win over Indonesia's number one Andrian Raturandang, whose world ranking of 499 is more than 500 places above the Chinese number two.

Indonesia's non-playing captain Deddy Prasetyo said in his fax made available to The Jakarta Post that his protege Feby was a game away from victory at 5-2 in the final set when he began to suffer cramps in his right thigh.

"He could not move his thigh with ease and the pain cost him victory," Deddy said. He added that Zhang also received medical treatment three times for the same complaint during the match.

The Indonesian doubles team of Bonit Wiryawan and Sulistyo Wibowo will have to win Saturday's match to keep their country's hopes of staying in the zone group alive. The loser of the tie will be relegated to a minor league of the Davis Cup for next season.

In the World Group qualifying round, U.S. Open champion Patrick Rafter helped host Australia to a commanding 2-0 lead over Uzbekistan after turning down a lucrative offer to play in Germany.

Reuters reported that Rafter, who chose to play for his country rather than accept an invitation to the US$6.7 million Grand Slam Cup, thrashed Oleg Ogorodov 6-3, 6-3, 6-4 in a lopsided match at the Townsville Entertainment Center in tropical North Queensland.

Jason Stoltenberg then defeated Vadim Kutsenko 7-5, 6-1, 6-0 to give Australia a commanding 2-0 lead over the Central Asian state.

It was an encouraging start for Australia, which was relegated to the qualifying phase after being upset by Zimbabwe in the first round of this year's world group.

An ailing Rafter lost his first match in that tie after going onto the court with a virus. He then had to withdraw from his second singles match. (yan)