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)