Indonesian tennis starlet Angie vies to lower her world ranking to sub-100
Indonesian tennis starlet Angie vies to lower her world ranking to sub-100
Musthofid, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
After her phenomenal run this year, which included her historic
Wimbledon triumph, Indonesian teenage star Angelique Widjaja
looks fancied in the 2002 season with a view to breaking into the
world's top 100.
"I'll try to aim below 100," Angie, as the 17-year-old is
popularly known, said here before her departure for a challenge
tournament in Pattaya, Thailand.
Angie stalled and was somewhat coy at declaring her 2002
ambitions, which might have indicated she had doubts about what
she would be aiming for.
But her meteoric rise in ranking, which has seen her shoot to
the current 150 from above 400 this year, must testify to her
tennis prowess in challenging the world.
Her successful Wimbledon stint, albeit in the junior field, in
which she became the second Asian player to win the trophy, is
supposed to have laid down an even firmer foundation for her
future tennis career.
She proved that she could match the seniors when she put in an
outstanding performance to win the US$170,000 Wismilak
International in Bali, which featured a number of world-class
players, such as former two-times French Open winner Arantxa
Sanchez-Vicario of Spain.
These successes have enticed commercial companies to provide
her with financial support for her worldwide trips, with Samsung
Electronics the latest to realize its cash pledge.
Others already in her sponsorship include sportswear producer
Nike, racket-maker Wilson and Toalson.
With those companies behind her, Angie no longer depends on
her family's pocket for her travel from one stop to another.
"I'm happy that Samsung will support me," Angie told reporters
after signing a deal with the Korea-based company on Thursday.
"I don't know how much money my mother used to budget for my
tournaments. I was never told and I just couldn't guess the
amount," she said in response to questions on whether the
undisclosed Samsung deal had a value roughly equal to the amount
her family used to have to pay.
Angie plans to take part in 13 senior tournaments, three more
than this year, and 5 junior events.
She will open her 2002 campaign at the Australian Open on the
second week of January, where she will also look to try to
consolidate the junior domination she began at Wimbledon.
However, she urged caution on her chances in the junior
category, saying the Australian Open, though at the junior level,
would undoubtedly be a tough field.
"I will be pleased to reach the quarter-finals," said Angie,
who got to the third round last year.
"In a grand slam tournament, it will be more competitive," she
said, referring to Wimbledon.
Meanwhile in the senior field, she said that she would simply
try to make it into the main draw.
Angie is at the moment playing in the US$25,000 Kings & Queens
Cup, which will be her last tournament in 2001. She will have
another to complete in Hong Kong, but will turn up as an
exhibition player.