Prima in his prime in winning Cigna
Prima in his prime in winning Cigna
Moch. N. Kurniawan, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
Experience told on Sunday as second seeded Prima Simpatiaji of
Central Java outclassed Jakarta teenager Sunu Wahyu Trijati 6-3,
6-1 for the 2005 Cigna Open men's singles tennis title.
The all-Jakarta women's final was an anticlimactic affair,
with second seeded Septi Mende retiring with an arm injury after
losing the first three games to top seeded Ayu Fani Damayanti.
Prima, at 180 centimeters a head taller than his opponent,
dominated from the outset of the match in Senayan, Central
Jakarta, using looping topspin groundstrokes to pin the seventh
seed to the baseline and draw errors.
The 23 year old raced to 4-1, with Sunu narrowing the gap
before his older opponent took the first set 6-3.
In the opening game of the second set, Sunu held serve, but it
was to be his last stand. Prima held serve and then broke,
opening up a lead that was to prove decisive.
He used pinpoint accuracy to run the stocky Sunu to the
corners of the baseline. Points either ended with an outright
winner or an error from the teen's racket as Prima notched six
consecutive games for the match.
He took the winner's check of Rp 9.6 million (US$1,076).
"Sunu is a good young player. Today I only played OK but
forced Sunu to make many unforced errors. Besides, Sunu's return
of serve was poor," Prima told reporters.
He said the title was a confidence booster before the Davis
Cup tie with Uzbekistan in Jakarta in early March.
Prima dispatched fourth seeded doubles specialist Bonit
Wiryawan of East Java 6-3, 6-1 in the semis, but was stretched in
the first set of his 7-6 (3), 6-2 quarterfinal win over talented
young player Elbert Sie.
Sunu beat Bonit's regular doubles partner Sulistyo Wibowo of
West Java 6-4, 6-2 in his semi, and third seed Sebastian Da Costa
of West Nusa Tenggara (NTB) 4-6, 6-4, 6-2 in the quarters.
Top seed Suwandi of West Java lost to Sulistyo in the last
eight 6-7 (10/8), 6-1, 1-6.
Ayu, who took home Rp 5.76 million, said she did not enjoy the
way she won her title over her doubles partner.
"It's not a good win for me because my opponent retired
because of injury."
In the men's doubles final on Saturday, Andery Setyawanto of
East Java and Sebastian of NTB beat fifth seeds Ayrton Wibowo of
Jakarta and Surya Wijaya of NTB 6-7 (6), 6-3, 7-5.
Before sustaining her injury, Septi had combined with Ayu to
overcome third seeds Denise Harijanto of Jakarta and Maya Rosa of
Central Java 7-6 (9/7), 6-4.