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)