Junior Feby stuns veteran tennis star

Junior Feby stuns veteran tennis star

JAKARTA (JP): Junior tennis player Feby Widhiyanto turned
heads during the national selection tournament yesterday when he
beat veteran Tjahyono in their Group D encounter.

Playing on his favorite clay surface, Feby kept former
national player Tjahyono running to score a come-from-behind 6-7
(7-9), 6-3, 6-4 win.

Feby, 16, after one win and a loss, is now placed second in
the group behind Andrian Raturandang. Davis Cup player Andrian,
as expected, maintained his unbeaten record yesterday with a 6-0,
6-2 drubbing of veteran Yustedjo Tarik.

Andrian kicked off the tournament by overcoming a stubborn
Feby 7-5, 6-2 on Saturday. He now advances to the quarterfinals.

Feby will make it through to the last eight round if he beats
1978 Asian Games champion Yustedjo, and Andrian downs Tjahyono in
today's final group matches.

The Indonesian Tennis Association will select eight of the 16
players competing in the tournament to join its central training
program.

The eight players are likely to make the Davis Cup team for
the second play-off trip to Taiwan between Sept. 20 and Sept. 22.

Tournament director Benny Mailili said he never thought Feby
would hit the nation's elite players so fast.

"Feby is just a third stringer now and he is expected to get
into the top eight in the next tournament in December," said
Benny, a tennis observer.

Andrian was one of four leading players to cruise to the
quarterfinals.

In Group A, former Davis Cup team member Bonit Wiryawan
secured a quarterfinal berth after beating rookie Stanley Sanger
6-2, 6-2 for a second straight win.

Indonesia's Southeast Asian Games backbone Sulistyo Wibowo
managed to beat Ade Guswin 6-1, 6-3 in a Group B match. Another
Davis Cup member, Sebastian da Costa, led Group C with a 2-0
record after beating Mulyadi 6-3, 6-3 yesterday.

Benny Wijaya stole the show on Saturday when he made his first
appearance after receiving a second ban from playing in the
national team last week. Benny refused an invitation to play in
the selection tournament.

"Benny came to explain the personal problems that have caused
him to decline our offer," said Wimar Witoelar, the tennis body's
national team director. (yan)