RI gets easy draw in men's tennis

RI gets easy draw in men's tennis

JAKARTA (JP): Indonesia's strongly favored men's tennis squad
appears a shoe-in to reach the final of the 19th SEA Games after
being handed a dream draw yesterday.

Following a first-round bye, the top seeds will face either
Cambodia or Vietnam in the semifinal in the six-team competition.

The Indonesians appear almost assured of a final spot as the
players from Cambodia and Vietnam are much lower ranked.

Second seeded Philippines, also recipient of a bye, will find
it tougher going against either Malaysia or defending champion
Thailand in the other semifinal.

Play begins today at the Senayan clay courts.

The hosts have set a target of five of the seven gold medals
in the men's and women's team competitions, singles and doubles
for both sexes, and mixed doubles.

The men's team is the same Davis Cup line-up which eked out a
3-2 win over the Philippines in Manila earlier this year.

Singles players are Suwandi -- 1993 SEA Games singles gold
medalist -- and Andrian Raturandang, with Bonit Wiryawan/Sulistyo
Wibowo in the doubles.

Philippines is fielding Robert Angelo and Bryan Juino in the
singles, and Michael-John Misa/Josep Lizardo in doubles.

Unseeded Thailand is still a team to watch with the presence
of first singles Paradorn Srichaphan, who gave a scare to former
world number one Jim Courier in the Singapore Open earlier this
week.

The host women will be hard pressed to defend their team title
with the absence of world number 19 Yayuk Basuki, Asia's best
women's player, who is currently playing in Germany.

With the singles line-up of Wynne Prakusya (WTA ranked 444)
and Wukirasih Sawondari (WTA 450), they open their campaign
against the Philippines.

In the doubles, Indonesia seems likely to field either or
Wukirasih/Irawati M. Iskandar and Wynne/Liza Andriyani.

All four players were on the Fed Cup team which was
whitewashed by Italy in July. Only Irawati has played in the SEA
Games before.

Overwhelming favorite Thailand is led by Tamarine Tanasugarn
(WTA 37), a strong baseliner who has racked up several impressive
wins this year and won the singles gold at the last SEA Games in
Chiang Mai.

The Thai team is rounded out by Suvimol Duangchan in the
singles, and Benjamas Sangaram and Marissa Niraj in the doubles.
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