Pelti to select top players for SEA Games
Pelti to select top players for SEA Games
JAKARTA (JP): Members of the national men's Davis Cup and
women's Fed Cup teams will go through a selection process in May
to compete in the 20th Southeast Asian (SEA) Games in August in
Bandar Seri Begawan.
Coach Dedy Prasetyo told reporters on Monday that the
Indonesian Tennis Association (Pelti) would select four
challengers for the Davis Cup team and another four for the Fed
Cup team to vie for places in the national tennis team for the
SEA Games.
Dedy said the Davis Cup and Fed Cup challengers would be
decided in a nationwide selection tournament from April 12 to
April 16. Twelve players will turn up for each stage of the
tournament.
Pelti has named six men's players -- Andrian Raturandang,
Bonit Wiryawan, Surya Wijaya, Sebastian da Costa, Yusmawan Fahmi
and Samsuddin Pare -- and six women's players -- Wukirasih
Sawondari, Eny Sulistyowati, Diana Laksono, Dewi Monika Siregar,
Angelique Wijaya and Dian Anggraini -- for the tournament. The
other contenders will be announced later this month.
The Davis Cup team comprises Suwandi, Febi Widhiyanto, Edy
Kusdaryanto and Hendri Susilo Pramono. They will face the
Philippines early next month in the Davis Cup Asia/Oceania Zone
Group Two second round match.
Dedy said that Pelti had offered former junior No. 1 player
Peter Handoyo a place in the selection, but he refused due to
school commitments. He studies at the Tennessee University in the
United States.
Indonesia's Fed Cup team of Wynne Prakusya, Irawati Moerid
Iskandar, Liza Andriyani, Frederika Girsang and Dea Sumantri
finished fifth in the Asia/Oceania Zone Group One in Bangkok last
week.
Dedy said Wynne would be exempted from the April selection due
to her world ranking of 187, the best among her teammates.
The coach also said Pelti had given former top player Romana
Tedjakusuma a chance to rejoin the national women's team.
"Romana is one of our best players although she has been
absent for the past two years. She managed to beat Wynne during a
practice in December," Dedy said of Pelti's decision to call
Romana.
The East Javanese player, the only other Indonesian player
other than Yayuk Basuki to crack the world top 100, has yet to
respond to the offer. (ivy/yan)