Liza, Mimma get wild card at Open

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)