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.