Indonesia on brink of Davis Cup abyss
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)