Kijimuta upsets top seed to reach tennis semifinals

JAKARTA (JP): Japanese Naoko Kijimuta produced the biggest upset yet in the US$164,250 Danamon Indonesia Women's Open tennis championships here yesterday when she ousted top seed Sabine Appelmans of Belgium in a heart-stopping quarter-final match.

It was consistency that led the unseeded Kijimuta to a surprising 2-6, 6-3, 7-6 (7-5) win over the player currently ranked 18th in the world.

Appelmans did manage to save six match points in the process, but could not pull off a victory.

In the semifinals, Kijimuta, making her first trip here, will take on American sixth seed Linda Wild, who downed another Japanese, Rika Hiraki, 7-5, 6-3.

World number 92 Kijimuta was the only Japanese to survive as Kyoko Nagatsuka gave up 4-6, 3-6 to sixth seed Laurence Courtois of Belgium in another quarter-final match yesterday. With the win, Courtois set up an early Federation Cup clash against Indonesia's Yayuk Basuki in today's semifinals.

Yayuk broke no sweat en route to her fifth semifinal appearance here yesterday as Claudia Porwik of Germany retired due to chronic abdominal strain. Yayuk was leading 4-0 when Porwik, who took a full-season off in 1992 owing the same injury, called it a day.

After a second-set defeat, Appelmans staged a brilliant comeback at 3-5 and 0-40 down in the deciding set, saving her own game and breaking Kijimuta to pull level. The Belgian, who never got ahead throughout the match, saved yet another match point at 5-6 down to force a tie break.

But 24-year-old Kijimuta, who had some 1,000 people cheering on her, kept the pressure on her frustrated rival. Kijimuta drilled her deep ball from the baseline and rushed to the net for a number of volley winners.

Appelmans seemed unable to maintain her composure during the nerve-wracking tie breaker. She quickly went 1-4 down and, despite a brief fight back that earned her an equalizer at 5-5, was clearly on the losing end. Her netted forehand sealed the match for Kijimuta.

"I didn't play my best tennis this week. Maybe I was trying too much and I wanted to win too much," a dejected Appelmans said in a post-match conference.

"She came to the net a lot and fired unbelievable volleys in the tie break. I was getting tired at the end of the match, but I'm glad I fought to the end."

Kijimuta played down her upset win. "I was very lucky. After the second set, Sabine produced many unforced errors. I thought if I tried hard enough I could win," she said.

Yayuk was guarded when asked about her first encounter with Courtois. "It's going to be tough because we are of the same style. Both of us will make a lot of trials," Yayuk said.

"I never expected to go this far, so I think reaching the semifinal really serves a boost to the rest of my career," said Yayuk, who is planning to retire from tennis next year.

Diarrhea knocked three-times winner Yayuk out of her semifinal match against Irina Spirlea of Rumania last year.

Courtois never let Nagatsuka, who upset second seed Wang Shi- ting of Taiwan in the first round, come close in the first quarter-final match yesterday.

The Belgian number two strolled to a commanding 5-2 lead in the second set. Serving for the match, she slowed her pace only to allow a break. "I was a little bit scared to finish the match, while Kyoko had nothing to lose," Courtois said. (05/amd)

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