Romana wanted for Federation Cup

Romana wanted for Federation Cup

JAKARTA (JP): The Indonesian Federation Cup tennis team is trying to persuade its number two player Romana Tedjakusuma to rejoin ahead of a clash against Belgium here next month.

"There is no choice but to pick Romana to back up Yayuk Basuki if we want to win," Wailan Walalangi of the Indonesian Tennis Association said yesterday.

Romana and five other players refused the association's call- up for a national selection for the women's tennis team championship first-round duel, scheduled here for April 28 and 29.

"We have asked Romana to think about her Olympic bid. Playing in the Fed Cup should give her a credit for a wildcard in Atlanta," Wailan said.

Belgium will enter the matches as favorite because of world number 25 Sabine Appelmans. She is playing in Linz, Austria, in which she reached the semifinals on Friday with an upset win over top seed Jana Novotna of the Czech Republic.

Romana teamed up solidly with Yayuk to win the doubles title in the Asian Championships in Manila last December. The association will ask for a wildcard entry to Atlanta for the Indonesian duo during a meeting held by the International Tennis Federation this April in Tokyo.

The doubles team just lacked experience when they lost in three sets to Argentinean pair of Gabriela Sabatini and Patricia Tarabini in their Fed Cup match here last year, some say.

World number 38 Yayuk, who looks set to qualify for the Olympics in the singles, has confirmed her agreement to play her 12th consecutive Fed Cup match. So have last year's team member Enny Sulistyowati and her fellow juniors Agustin Limanto, Lisa Andriyani, Agustin Limanto and Wynne Prakusya.

Romana, Maria Veronica Widyadarma and Natalia Soetrisno said that they would miss the selection due to academic commitments in the United States.

Fed Cup veteran Mimma Chernovita and her Jakarta teammates Wukirasih Sawondari and Marieke Gunawan objected to the selection plan due to their preparations for the National Games in September. They would agree, however, if the association could assure them that the selection would not distract from their provincial program.

Wailan said that the association has yet so far to decide the form of the national selection. "It won't always mean that nominees play each other for a couple of places on the team," Wailan said. (amd)