Irawati, Wukirasih join Fed Cup team
Irawati, Wukirasih join Fed Cup team
JAKARTA (JP): Veteran women's tennis player Irawati Moerid Iskandar and up-and-coming Wukirasih Sawondari will join Yayuk Basuki and Wynne Prakusya in the Fed Cup team, spokesman of the Indonesian Tennis Association (Pelti) Benny Mailili announced on Tuesday.
Benny said Irawati and Wukirasih were picked after their strong performances in the Niaga Cigna Open 2000, the first and the second Indonesia Women's Circuit here in the past three weeks.
Yayuk and Wynne had earlier been named Fed Cup team members based on their national and world rankings at the end of February. Businesswoman Martina Wijaya has been named team manager while former tennis player Suzanna Anggarkusumah Wibowo is the coach and non-playing captain.
Indonesia will take part in the Asia Oceania Group I tie in Osaka, Japan, from April 24 to April 30.
Wukirasih beat another national top player, Liza Andriyani, in the contest for a spot in the Fed Cup team. Wukirasih and Irawati were runners-up in the second circuit, bowing out to Wynne and Yayuk.
Benny boasted that Indonesia's women's doubles were currently the strongest in the region. "However, our victory will lie in the strategy," he said.
He suggested that Yayuk play in the singles event without using her special world ranking of 86. "If she does not use her world ranking, Yayuk will be the number 2 player after Wynne Prakusya, who is Indonesia's number 1 player."
"Wynne will face another top player while Yayuk will challenge the opponent's number two player. Should Indonesia tie, we can win the doubles event, because our doubles team is the strongest," said Benny, also a tennis observer.
He named China and South Korea as tough rivals.
"Their players have equal skills. They are different to Thailand, who only have Tamarine Tanasugarn as their strongest player," he said.
He also said that Pelti would retain Suwandi, Febi Widhiyanto, Hendri Susilo Pramono and Edy Kusdaryanto as Davis Cup team members to play in the Asia Oceania Zone Group II against Malaysia in Kuala Lumpur next month.
He said that Pelti would consider the veteran pair of Bonit Wiryawan and Sulistyo Wibowo as team members should Indonesia win in the second match from April 7 to April 9.
Meanwhile, national player Angelique Widjaja narrowly beat fellow countrywoman Linda Arumsari 7-6, (7-3), 6-4 while Dea Sumantri had an easy 6-0, 6-1 win over Japanese Akiko Yonemura in the first round of the Indonesia Gas Negara International Junior Championships at the Kemayoran Tennis Center, Central Jakarta.
Mudarwati beat Susanne Aiger of Austria 4-6, 6-4, 6-4. Novianti Warsono beat another Austrian player, Patricia Starzyk, 4-6, 6-2, 6-2. Ida Sutedja won over teammate Nindya Septi Yutami 6-1, 6-1 and Dian Anggraini outclassed teammate Suci Bungaran 6- 4, 6-1.
Unseeded Sandy Gumulya, in a surprising defeat, knocked out sixth seed Daniela Kix of Austria 3-6, 7-5, 6-4 while Rosa Maya overcame Julie Ann Cadiente of the Philippines 6-2, 6-1.
In the boy's event, Ferza Gauthama crushed Prakash Amritraj of the United States 6-3, 6-4 and Henry Davinteja beat Stephan Timu of Canada 6-2, 6-1. (ivy)