Indonesian Davis Cup defeat completes washout

Indonesian Davis Cup defeat completes washout

JAKARTA (JP): China's 5-0 Davis Cup rout of Indonesia
yesterday compounded the sad string of trouncings of Indonesian
teams this year.

Indonesia's last-ditch attempts in yesterday's reverse singles
went flat as China's Asian Games gold medalist Pan Bing took one
hour 40 minutes to stop Indonesia's number one Suwandi 6-3, 7-6
(7-5) and Xia Jiaping one hour to crush debutant Andrian
Raturandang 6-3, 6-4.

Two days earlier China took a 3-0 lead after Suwandi fell to
Xia and Andrian to Pan Bing in the first singles matches on
Friday and Indonesian doubles of Sebastian da Costa and Donny
Susetyo suffered a 6-3, 4-6, 6-4, 3-6, 4-6 defeat to Pan Bing and
Xia on Saturday.

This debacle prolongs the strings of losses which has reduced
Indonesia's sporting pride to a ghost of its former glory. The
first blow to this pride was the bitter Southeast Asian Games
loss to Thailand in Chiang Mai last year. Then came the salt in
the wound: the home 1-4 loss to South Korea in the first-round
Davis Cup battle here in February. As if this were not enough,
all Indonesian shuttlers -- the world's best -- had to take an
early bow at the All England world championships in Birmingham a
month later.

The Davis Cup pits Indonesia against Chinese Taipei in another
Asia-Oceania tie in September. The losing side will be relegated
to Group Two next year.

Indonesian non-playing captain Wailan Walalangi said the
defeat was "painful, let's face the truth."

Suwandi, whose first day loss to Xia prompted many people to
question the wisdom of his inclusion in the team, said he felt
"awful and guilty" and that his first singles role put too much
pressure on him.

Suwandi and Andrian also blamed shorter practice periods for
the debacle: "Coach Deddy told us we should have practiced for 12
or 13 weeks, not just five weeks like we did."

Chairman of the Indonesian Tennis Association Sarwono
Kusumaatmadja said the present Davis Cup team members need
replacement and restructuring.

Attributing the shameful Davis Cup loss to a lot of "non
technical problems," Sarwono said he planned "to recruit more
reliable and patriotic players" to replace the present Davis Cup
team members. Sarwono, however, did not say whom he meant but
added that Suwandi deserved being put on the sidelines.

Sarwono said that tennis buff and management consultant Wimar
Witoelar will replace Wailan as head of the National Tennis
Board. But this may have nothing to do with the loss. Sarwono
said Wailan had told him that he was unable to handle the board
and had asked for resignation soon after the Chiang Mai SEA Games
last year.

Sarwono added that this does not mean that Wailan and coach
Deddy Prasetyo will lose their coaching jobs.

Meanwhile, Indonesian tennis queen Yayuk Basuki told reporters
yesterday that it would be hard for the Indonesian Federation Cup
team, to which she belongs, to face Belgium on Apr. 27 and 28
without Romana Tedjakusuma, Yayuk's partner in the women's
doubles.

Romana, now on a scholarship at a U.S. university, said in a
fax that she would be here on Apr. 23.

Sarwono said he would wait for Romana, whom he said a "special
player with tennis skills above the other juniors," before
deciding whether or not to field her. (05)