Putting it briefly

Yayuk to set a hat-trick

JAKARTA (JP): Indonesia's top tennis player Yayuk Basuki is eying a hat-trick at the April US$100,000 Indonesia Open women's tennis championships.

Yayuk, currently world number 31, is likely to lead the seeds at the third edition of the tennis tournament. Her stiffest challenge is likely to come in the form of Wang Shi-ting of Chinese Taipei. Yayuk avoided a meeting with Wang at last January's China Open as the Taiwanese player fell in the early rounds.

The 32 player field will include seven other players ranked in the top 100, including fast improving teenager Romana Tedjakusuma.

Seeded sixth at the $1.21 million Japan Open, Yayuk failed to overcome a nagging ankle injury and made an early exit after a 6- 7 (5-7), 3-6 first round defeat to Linda Niemantsverdriet of the Netherlands yesterday. The Indonesian was bundled out of the second round of the tournament last year. (amd)

Saive, Svensson European champs

BIRMINGHAM, England (Reuter): World number one Jean-Michel Saive of Belgium and Marie Svensson of Sweden blasted their way to the titles at the European table tennis championships yesterday.

The attacking, all-action Belgian put previous big tournament disappointments behind him when he beat Olympic champion Jan-Ove Waldner of Sweden 23-25, 21-10, 21-17, 21-16 in a classy final. Saive, runner-up two years ago in the Europeans and also a silver medalist at the world championships, was determined to justify his leading ranking after his 55-minute success.

Big-hitting Svensson overwhelmed unseeded Dutchwoman Gerdie Keen 21-12, 21-14, 21-18 on her way to the women's title. Svensson, 26, ranked 11th in Europe, never allowed Keen a look- in, and although the Dutch number three bravely saved three match points from 15-20 in the third, the destination of the title was by then abundantly clear.

Crucial FIFA summit meeting

ZURICH (Reuter): Five continental soccer chiefs converged on Zurich yesterday for a crucial FIFA presidency summit with the world game's head Joao Havelange.

Havelange, the 78-year-old Brazilian who has been president of the International Football Federation since 1974, is seeking a final four-year term in the election at the FIFA Congress in Chicago on the eve of the World Cup finals.

But speculation has been rife that the European governing body UEFA, wary of losing its strong powerbase in the world game and World Cup places to the emerging soccer continents, might name a rival candidate.

Parks worries about Arkansas

CHARLOTTE, North Carolina (Reuter): Duke, already facing an uphill battle against top-ranked Arkansas in Monday's showdown for the NCAA men's basketball championship, had more worries on Sunday after center Cherokee Parks' knee swelled up.

Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski said he was sure Parks would play. He said it was not known on what play in Saturday's 70-65 semifinal win over Florida the injury had occurred.

Krzyzewski said Parks, a key man against the powerful inside game of an Arkansas team that already had a big depth advantage, would skip practice to rest and ice the knee.

Arkansas coach Nolan Richardson for his part said he also had an ailing player -- point guard Corey Beck.

Bugno triumphs in Tour

MEERBEKE, Belgium (Reuter): Gianni Bugno shaded last year's winner Johan Musseeuw by a matter of millimeters to take the 268- km Tour of Flanders World Cup race in a thrilling four-man finish on Sunday.

It put Bugno level with fellow Italian Giorgio Furlan on top of the World Cup standings on 50 points, 10 more than third- placed Musseeuw of Belgium with eight races remaining.

The race came to life on the top of the cobbled Oude Kwaremont hill 110 kms from the finish, when a fall shattered the pack.

Zambia wins as Ghana beaten

SOUSSE, Tunisia (Reuter): Zambia's dream of a semifinal place at the African Nations Cup became reality on Sunday, but the hopes of Ghana captain Abedi Pele were left in tatters.

Zambia, who said before the tournament their best hopes lay in reaching the semifinals, achieved that goal with a 1-0 win over Senegal at the Olympic stadium in Sousse.

But Ghana, one of the pre-tournament favorites, were beaten 2- 1 by the Ivory Coast in a repeat of the 1992 final.

England hopefuls fail to shine

ST GEORGE'S, Grenada (AFP): England hopefuls Matthew Maynard, Nasser Hussain and Devon Malcolm all flopped here on Sunday as England crashed against the West Indies Board XI at Queen's Park.

Hussain and Maynard, hoping for selection for the fourth Test on Friday, both failed to reach double figures on the second day which saw the tourists lose their last six wickets for 18 runs in 62 balls.

Then Malcolm, in his first bowl since suffering a knee injury during the first Test in February, looked rusty as he returned figures of 12 overs for 57 -- although he did claim the wicket of Phil Simmons.

Yamaha holds narrow lead

SOUTHAMPTON, England (Reuter): Whitbread 60 Yamaha held a narrow five-mile lead yesterday on the fifth leg of the round-the-world yacht race.

Light conditions during the first 48 hours of the leg from Uruguay to Fort Lauderdale, Florida have meant slow progress up the South American coast. The five leading Whitbread 60s and three Maxis are all within sight of each other.

Tokio was in second place, followed by Maxi New Zealand Endeavour. Intrum Justitia, Merit Cup and La Poste were one mile eastern.