South Korea leads RI 2-0 in Davis Cup
South Korea leads RI 2-0 in Davis Cup
JAKARTA (JP): Indonesia is on the verge of an upset home
defeat in its Davis Cup Asia Oceania zone first-round battle
against South Korea, after losing the two singles matches
yesterday.
The Senayan clay court looked to lose the traditional magic
that sent South Koreans crashing four times, as Suwandi and
debutant Andrian Raturandang were outclassed in two bruising
power games.
Indonesia's number one Suwandi went belly-up with 4-6, 0-6, 2-
6 to Yoon Yong-il, before Andrian completed the fiasco with his
2-6, 6-4, 2-6, 2-6 defeat to South Korean first singles Lee
Hyung-taik.
The Indonesian young guns' fate will be decided in today's
doubles match. Non-playing captain Wailan Walalangi hinted during
the post-match conference that he would reassign Suwandi to team
up with Eddy Kusdaryanto in the crucial rubber. Indonesia picked
earlier its doubles team of Eddy and Donny Susetyo.
Suwandi and Eddy reached the Asian Championships final in
Manila last year.
The Senayan tennis court saw Indonesia claw its way back from
a 0-2 deficit to beat South Korea 3-2 in 1988, and tennis chief
Sarwono Kusumaatmadja was upbeat about the same fairy tale.
"I'm looking forward to seeing our team spring a similar
surprise tomorrow," said Sarwono, who mingled with a 300-strong
partisan crowd during the matches.
Minister/State Secretary Moerdiono, former chairman of the
Indonesian Tennis Association, deployed his special troops of
film stars and singers, but they couldn't crank up the athletes'
sputtering engines.
Suwandi, ranked 422th in the world, played like a beginner,
throwing every return off the court during the battle of two
baseliners.
After a hard-fought opener, Yoon got no demanding replies from
his klutzy opponent before wrapping up the match in just an hour
and 28 minutes.
"I was surprised," said world number 350 Yoon after the match.
The South Korean notched up his third successive win against
Suwandi.
Experience
In the second match, experience favored Lee in overcoming
sharp shooting Andrian, who was making his first Davis Cup
appearance.
The 19-year-old Indonesian posed a real threat to Lee with a
second-set equalizer and a number of serve breaking chances in
the third set. Andrian, however, lost his composure in end.
"I was too hasty to end the games I controlled. If only I had
been a little bit more patient, I could have won the third set,"
said Andrian.
"Lee is more experienced than me in handling critical points,"
Andrian admitted.
Indonesian coach Deddy Prasetyo said that Andrian did
everything right in his debut. But the coach criticized Suwandi
for not living up to his potential. "I don't understand. How
could he play that badly ?," he said.
Elsewhere in Jaipur, India, Jacco Eltingh gave the Netherlands
a 1-0 lead before disrupted play on the opening day of the Davis
Cup world group first round tie at the Jai Club grass courts.
AFP reported that Eltingh justified his surprise selection
ahead of world number 11 Richard Krajicek by defeating India's
main hope Leander Paes 6-4, 7-5, 6-4 in the first singles.
In the second singles, Jan Siemerink and India's Mahesh
Bhupathy were tied at two-sets all when rain halted the
encounter.
Bhupathy, ranked 321 places below world number 20 Siemerink,
delighted home fans by taking the first two sets 6-4, 7-6 (7-4).
But the experienced Dutchman clawed back into the match by
winning the next two sets 6-4, 6-4.
Bhupathy was leading 3-2 in the fifth when the rain came. The
match will be resumed today morning before the doubles featuring
Paes and Bhupathy against the former world champions Eltingh and
Paul Haarhuis.