Liza, Mimma get wild card at Open

JAKARTA (JP): Two young Indonesian players received wild cards to play at the Danamon Indonesia Open women's tennis tournament here next week.

The Indonesian Tennis Association said Liza Andriyani, world ranked 469, and Mimma Chernovita, world ranked 477, would receive wild cards for the main draw.

"Liza improved her ranking from 700s to her current ranking. She also won a US$10,000 tournament in the United States," said Subiyanto, the association's vice secretary-general, quoted Republika daily.

"It's not true that the association gave it to Liza because we were being pressed by certain people," he said.

Liza, who has been training at the Van der Meer tennis camp in South Carolina for four years, wrote to the association asking for a wild card to play at the $107,500 tournament from April 21 to April 27.

Although Liza failed to compete at the national selection in December, due to her tournament program, the association's National Team Board gave her the wild card because of her recent performance.

"Besides, Liza is going to play in senior tournaments this year," said Eddy Katimansah. The minimum age limit to play in a senior tournament is 18 years.

Eighteen year old Mimma, a member of the national team, is also playing in senior tournaments, Eddy said.

There was a problem last month when Wynne Prakusya, who is dubbed the country's second best after Yayuk Basuki, world ranked 26, protested the association's decision to forbid her to play at the tournament.

Wynne, who is only 16, urged the association to let her play at the tournament instead of competing at the Japan Open Junior Tennis Tournament.

Wynne failed to win several satellite tournaments in Indonesia over the last three weeks.

Mimma also received a wild card in the women's doubles with partner Marieke Gunawan.

Kompas reported that Marieke, Agustine Limanto, Khoo Chin Bee of Malaysia and Stephani Chi of Chinese Taipei also received wild cards for the qualifying round.

Liza and Irawati M Iskandar received wild cards to play in the doubles' qualifying round.

Yayuk is seeded first at the tournament followed by world ranked 38 Wang Shi Ting of Chinese Taipei, world ranked 43 Naoko Sawamatsu of Japan and world ranked 53 Tamarine Tanasugarn of Thailand.

Defending champion Linda Wild of the USA withdrew due to injury.

Yayuk, who failed to perform in last year's final against Wild after a fever, showed her ready-to-fight spirit in spite of having leg problems.

"Hopefully I can be 100 percent fit in one or two days," she said. (yan)