RI's Yayuk earns 2nd round berth at Toray tennis
RI's Yayuk earns 2nd round berth at Toray tennis
TOKYO (Agencies): Indonesian top player Yayuk Basuki found no
real challenge in clearing her first hurdle at the US$806,000
Toray Pan Pacific women's tennis championships yesterday.
Yayuk, ranked 27th in the world, coasted to a convincing 6-1
6-1 victory over Shaun Stafford as the American struggled with
her shots, hitting a double fault to lose her opening service
game and another on a match point.
But the second round could be the last step for Yayuk to run
as she is tipped to meet Wimbledon champion Conchita Martinez of
Spain. World number three Martinez, as well as Australian Open
champion and top seed Mary Pierce of France, received a first-
round bye.
Serve-and-volleyer Yayuk last met the baseliner Spaniard in
Wimbledon in a fourth round match two years ago, with the
Indonesian shot down in three sets 6-3, 2-6, 2-6. Yayuk also lost
to Martinez in two close sets in the U.S. Open in 1991.
In another opening round match, local favorite Kimiko Date,
still suffering a strained stomach muscle, shrugged off a slow
start to beat Patty Fendick.
The fifth-seeded Japanese, not fully recovered from the injury
she suffered during the New South Wales Open earlier this month,
had to steady herself midway through the second set before
scoring a 4-6, 6-3, 6-1 victory over the American.
"The stomach muscle is not the only reason for my slow start,"
said Date. "I couldn't practice enough since I got the injury and
today I couldn't hit the ball at a good timing."
Fendick took advantage of Date's second serve -- and sometimes
the first -- to go to the net often, forcing the Japanese to make
passing errors to take four straight games after 2-4 in the
opening set.
Date recovered from one break down to tie at 2-2 in the second
set. When she took the following game, which went to deuce seven
times, the tide turned in favor of the three-time Japan Open
champion.
She was never in trouble in the decider, finishing off a 108-
minute match with a forehand passing shot for a clean winner.
Majoli through
Taiwan's number one Wang Shi-ting, who is ranked 46th in the
world, found her hard-shot strokes didn't work against Japanese
qualifier Yone Kamio. She lost 2-6, 2-6.
Eighth-seeded Iva Majoli of Croatia, the 17-year-old who moved
up to 12th in the world rankings this week, brushed aside veteran
Pam Shriver of the United States 6-4, 6-0.
"This was the first match in three months. I haven't played
after the Virginia Slims Championships (in November)," said
Majoli, who received the WTA Most Impressive New Comer Award in
1993.
"I was a little bit tight in the beginning. It was really a
tough first match after a long time. But I got through it. So
hopefully I play better tomorrow."
In the second round, Majoli will play Kristie Boogert of the
Netherlands, who outgunned Larisa Neiland of Latvia 6-4, 6-4 in a
serve-and-volley battle.
In other action on the artificial indoor courts at the Tokyo
Metropolitan Gymnasium, Anna Smashnova of Israel eliminated
Japan's Nana Miyagi 6-4, 6-2, and Mana Endo subdued of Rika
Hiraki 7-5, 7-5 in an all-Japanese match.
In Auckland, Australian Nicole Bradtke (formerly Provis) made
good use of her wild card to upset eighth-seeded Patricia Hy-
Boulais in the Amway Classic tennis tournament, upsetting the
Canadian 5-7, 6-1, 6-4.
Bradtke was given the wild card after New Zealand No. 1
Claudine Toleafoa withdrew last week from the $107,500 event
because of an ankle injury.