Junior players remain below standard: Yayuk

JAKARTA (JP): World class athletes don't need much time to learn how to play their opponents, and capitalize on their mistakes.

Yayuk Basuki took just 30 minutes to tame her junior male rival Ifan Taufik in a battle of the sexes tennis exhibition yesterday. The one-set match was so easy, Yayuk demanded that her juniors stiffen their training program.

"Frankly speaking, our junior players have yet to meet the standards of their division," said world number 29 Yayuk after her 6-3 demolition of Ifan at the Hilton. Ifan is the top seed in the ongoing Indonesia Junior Master championships organized by the Jakarta-based Sports Journalists Association.

"They may need three or four years of rigorous training before becoming professionals," Yayuk asserted.

The 15-year-old Ifan did take the match seriously, but was totally outgunned by Yayuk's devastating forehand shots.

Yayuk, playing instinctive tennis, belted five aces. She made Ifan run for her sharp cross-courts which invited warm applause of 200 fans filling the center court stand. Yayuk's Japanese doubles partner, Nana Miyagi, was in the crowd.

Yayuk took a few breaks to greet her fans, chat with the umpire and also a senior journalist who looked unfamiliar with his new beat. She didn't break a sweat.

Yayuk's storming strokes highlighted the mixed doubles held shortly after the singles match. Partnering Febi Widhiyanto, Yayuk defeated Enny Sulistyowati and Peter Handoyo 9-5.

No prize money was provided by the organizers, but Yayuk was more than delighted to receive her portrait by renowned cartoonist GM Sudarta.

"It's wonderful. I will put it in my living room," said Yayuk during an informal press conference in the shade of a tree.

Yayuk is now preparing to defend her title at the Indonesia Women's Open. The Jan. 2-8 tournament, jointly organized by the Indonesian Tennis Association and its Australian counterpart, offers a total prize of US$160,000.

Yayuk will also play Martina Navratilova on Jan. 4 in an exhibition match. "My focus is defending my title, but I won't waste the rare meeting," Yayuk said.

The Indonesian three-time champion has lost all four of her encounters with former number one Navratilova. The Czech-born American retired at the year-end Virginia Slims championship in New York last month. (amd)