RI Fed Cup team has narrow chance

RI Fed Cup team has narrow chance

By Bruce Emond

JAKARTA (JP): Yayuk Basuki should have been happy last week.
She reached the final at the DFS Classic in Birmingham, Britain,
beating world number 10 Rumanian Irina Spirlea on the way. Her
World Tennis Association (WTA) ranking jumped six places to 25.

Instead, a dampener was put on Yayuk's celebration when the
Indonesian Tennis Association (Pelti) scratched her from
Indonesia's Fed Cup squad for the tie against Italy here next
month.

The reason given was that Suharyadi, Yayuk's husband and coach
of the Fed Cup team, had sent a letter to the International
Tennis Federation (ITF) asking for a change of playing surface
from clay to Rebound Ace.

He did not forward a copy to PELTI, but the ITF informed them
of the request.

Pelti charged that Suharyadi had overstepped his duties as
team coach and undermined the association's authority.

Yayuk's actions in balking at playing on clay were called
inconsistent, as she competed on clay at the French Open last
month. She also won all of her matches when Indonesia beat Italy
in the Federation Cup in Italy two years ago.

The association's argument is easy to pick apart. Yayuk's
flowing, all-court game is more suited to fast services like
grass or Rebound Ace. She rarely plays on clay, except for the
French Open, which is almost obligatory for any high-ranking
player. She did not enter the French Open in 1993 because she did
not consider it worthwhile to her ranking, and her best
performance at the event was reaching the third round last year.

Yayuk was part of the winning team in Italy, but the victory
left many surprised. Italian players grow up on clay courts and
their patient baseline games are ideal for the surface. The
Italians selected clay as the venue for that tie precisely
because it was their best surface.

This year, Indonesia had the choice of surface. It came as a
surprise when the announcement was made a few months back that
Pelti had chosen clay, Yayuk's least favorite surface (a chorus
of hallelujahs must have erupted in the Italian camp).
It was a strange, almost inexplicable decision, comparable to
Austrian clay courter Thomas Muster pushing to play a Davis Cup
tie on grass.

While Suharyadi committed an error of judgment by writing
directly to the ITF and not apprising Pelti, it is not known if
he discussed the matter with members of the association
beforehand. Pelti is a bureaucracy, and as such probably a haven
for political plays and infighting.

Yayuk's reaction to the announcement was to say she was
disappointed and would not play for the team again. She pointedly
referred to her 13 years of participation in the former
Federation Cup, which saw Indonesia reach the quarterfinals for
the first time in the 1990s.

There was irony in her wishing her best to the young team
members. The chances of the team winning even one match against
the Italians are negligible. Wynne Prakusya played outstandingly
in the Asia-Pacific Qualifying Zone in New Zealand in March,
winning all her matches. But it must be remembered that she was
playing second string players from Taiwan, New Zealand and India,
countries not noted for their tennis talent. It was left to Yayuk
to play and beat Wang Shi Ting, the only other major player in
the competition. She did this in two matches.

Yayuk's achievements are outstanding. Except for the Japanese,
Yayuk is the only other Asian player to break into the top 25.
She is respected around the world, not just for her unique
playing style in a world of baseline hugging moppets, but also
her friendly, easy going manner. This year, she received the
Karen Krantzcke award for sportsmanship, an award voted on by all
the players on the circuit.

Hopefully, she will not retire in the next few years, but when
she does she will be an asset to Indonesian tennis. She has
proven herself, and she has no vested agenda, no reason to engage
in power plays or grandstanding.

Indonesia's best hope is that team members do not receive a
drubbing when they step onto court next month. Italy's Sylvia
Farina, Rita Grande and even veteran Laura Golarsa have the clay
court technique and experience to teach the young Indonesians a
lesson or two. Without Yayuk, Indonesia can only hope for
miracles at Senayan Stadium.