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)