Tennis body to select team for Asia Games

JAKARTA (JP): The Indonesian Tennis Association announced on Tuesday it would select two players to accompany Yayuk Basuki and Wynne Prakusya to the 13th Asian Games in December.

National tennis team director Benny Mailili told a media conference that Liza Andriyani, Irawati Moerid Iskandar, Mimma Chernovita and Enny Sulistyowati would fight for the two remaining places in a selection tournament at the Hilton Hotel tennis courts next Monday through Wednesday.

Indonesia is definitely sending four women to the Asiad, but is undecided about picking any men's representatives following a Davis Cup whitewash to China over the weekend.

Yayuk is granted an automatic place in the national squad due to her world ranking of 44, among the best in Asia. As for Wynne, Benny said the world number 225 received special treatment following her formidable performances in some challenger tournaments in the United States.

"She has shown great progress. Moving up from 400s to 225 is not an easy job," Benny said.

Wynne failed in her bid to debut in the U.S. Open main draw after losing in the second round of the qualifying stage.

Liza will have to join the selection tournament after missing some challenger tournaments due to a lack of sponsors. It has dropped her ranking from the 400s to the 600s.

Benny dismissed speculation that the tennis body was favoring Wynne. "It's not about favoritism but we're looking at reality."

The association also appointed Yayuk's coach and husband Suharyadi to be the nonplaying captain for the Asiad.

Yayuk, who plans to retire after next year's Australian Open, indicated on Tuesday she might concentrate on playing doubles in the Asiad.

"I haven't played any singles matches since the U.S. Open late last month," she said. Yayuk crashed in the second round of the final grand slam tournament of the year and skipped the Princess Cup in Tokyo last week.

Yayuk shared the mixed doubles gold medal with Suharyadi in the 1990 Asiad in Beijing.

Yayuk and her Dutch partner Caroline Vis have qualified for the US$2 million Chase Championships in Madison Square Garden, New York, from Nov. 16 to Nov. 20. They are seeded eighth in the season-ending tournament which is restricted to the world's top 12 women's singles and doubles.

Aside from the Chase, Yayuk will only play doubles with Vis in the Porsche Grand Prix in Germany from Oct. 5 to Oct. 11, the European Indoor Championships in Switzerland from Oct. 12 to Oct. 17 and the Advanta Championship in Philadelphia from Nov. 9 to Nov. 15, before going to Bangkok. (yan)