Indonesian Septi caps double win at Thamrin tennis event
Indonesian Septi caps double win at Thamrin tennis event
Musthofid, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
Septi Nindya Yutami shrugged off the jitters to win the girls'
singles competition at the Thamrin Cup International Junior
Tennis Championships here on Saturday.
She beat Chan Yung Jan of Chinese Taipei 6-4, 7-5 in the
finals at the Hilton Hardcourts.
Teaming up with Maya Rosa, the 16-year-old Indonesian carried
on her winning form with a 7-5, 6-1 victory in the doubles over
South Korean pair Chin Seul-ki and Shin Jun-yoon.
In the boys' field, Christopher Letcher of Australia booked
his final place with a 7-6 (6-4), 6-2 win over top seed Hsieh
Wang Cheng of Chinese Taipei.
In the final on Sunday, he will take on Korean Kim Sun-yong, a
3-6, 6-0, 6-2 winner over compatriot Jun Wong-sun.
After being denied further contention in the singles, the home
side now look to the doubles with pride after Eko Putro/Eko
Kurniawan cruised through to the final.
Putro/Kurniawan, who are top seeds in the tournament,
outplayed Chang Yao Chung/Hsieh Wang Cheng 6-2, 6-1. Their
opponents will be Korean Kim Sun-yong/Jun Wong-sun, who came from
behind to beat the Australia-Austria pairing of Christopher
Letcher/Lie Sun Liang 4-6, 6-1, 6-3.
Septi admitted to being nervous playing against Chan Yung Jan,
particularly in the second set, in which she had her serve broken
early to trail 1-3 down.
She looked uneasy, which quite often resulted in the ball
hitting the net or going wide. She also struggled against Chan's
sweeping drives through both sides of the court, which caught her
flatfooted at the baseline.
"Playing at center court before scores of spectators made me
nervous," Septi, the second seed, told The Jakarta Post after the
match.
"Get focused! Get focused!" coach Tintus Ariwibowo shouted
from the stand.
Septi regained her composure to break back for 3-3. After
exchanging another break, she improved her run with sharp drives
and spins which sent Chan desperately swinging right and left.
She took over the lead and held on with another break in the
12th game for a 7-5 win.
"I shed the jitters and played a relaxed game," said Septi,
whose Thamrin top form came one week after her victory at the
Siliwangi Cup in Bandung, West Java.
Her next tournament will be in Tunisia at the end of this
month, along with Maya Rosa.