RI tennis body to hold Asiad selection event
RI tennis body to hold Asiad selection event
JAKARTA (JP): The Indonesian Tennis Association is to stage a
selection tournament later this month to decide the likely men's
and women's national teams for the 13th Asian Games in December
1998.
The final teams will not be chosen until next November.
Benny Mailili, a member of the association's National Tennis
Board, told a press conference yesterday that six male and six
female players would be chosen from the competition.
"The new system is for efficiency's sake. We'll also select
the men's, women's and mixed doubles because we have a better
chance in the doubles than in the singles in a multi-event
competition such as the Asian Games. Even if we compete in the
team event, our best chance is in the doubles," he said.
Tennis is among the 16 potential sports the National Sports
Council has selected for Indonesia to compete in at the
quadrennial event in Bangkok.
The tournament, which will take place from Nov. 24 to Nov. 30
at Klub Rasuna in Kuningan, South Jakarta, will feature 16 male
and 16 female players.
Benny said world-ranked 20 Yayuk Basuki would be welcome to
join the Asiad team if she signed a confirmation letter as an
administrative requirement.
"The association will make her an offer to join the team but
the decision is in her hands," the association's secretary-
general, Zainal Abidin, said.
Yayuk did not compete in last month's SEA Games because she
was pursuing her ambition to reach the world's top 20.
"If Yayuk wants to compete at the Asian Games, we expect her
to join the team at least one month prior to the event," Zainal
said. "It's one of the ways to create the teamwork in our team."
Zainal said that although the selected players would be strong
candidates for the Asiad team, they would still have to compete
in next June's national selection tournament.
"It's also a way to test them so they are not satisfied with
their achievements. By having another selection event, they will
have to try their best for longer to be included in the team," he
said.
The association will send the players to about half a dozen
US$50,000 challenger tournaments as preparation for the Asiad.
Indonesia's national team at present consists of Andrian
Raturandang, Suwandi, Bonit Wiryawan, Sulistyo Wibowo, Sebastian
da Costa, Donny Susetyo, Samsudin Pare and Surya Wijaya on the
men's side and Wukirasih Sawondari, Wynne Prakusya, Liza
Andriyani, Irawati Moerid Iskandar, Eny Sulistyowati, Mimma
Chernovita and Mudarwati on the women's side.
Andrian, Suwandi, Bonit, Sulistyo, Wynne, Wukirasih, Liza and
Irawati competed in the SEA Games and won five of the seven golds
on offer.
The men will be challenged by qualifiers Feby Widhiyanto,
Yusmawan Fahmi, Hendri Susilo Pramono, Suhendi Kouswira,
Suhendardinata, Mulyadi, Djanuar Radjab and Ferdy Fauzi and the
women by Nuraeni Batubara, Cynthia Aryati, Frederika Girsang,
Cynthia Dewi, Lianasari Batubara, Asri Nursanti Ebo, Savitri
Saraswati TJ and Vinca Rampen. (yan)