Wukirasih reaches quarterfinals, while other home players flop

JAKARTA (JP): Wukirasih Sawondari saved Indonesia's blushes on Thursday at the Extra Joss Women's Circuit-4 tennis tournament by reaching the quarterfinals, the only home player to do so.

Wukirasih, a former Southeast Asian Games gold medalist, beat Suci Bungaran 6-2, 6-0 in an all-Indonesian second round match of the US$10,000 event being played at the Kemayoran tennis complex.

In the quarterfinals, Wukirasih will face South Korean Choi Jin-young, who beat Indonesia's young hope Angelique Widjaja 6-1, 6-2.

The other three Indonesian players left in the second round -- Liza Andriyani, Dewi Monika Siregar and Mimma Chernovita -- were all beaten. Liza crashed to a 6-7 (4-7), 5-7 defeat by Akiko Gunji of Japan; Siregar was given a tennis lesson by Orawan Wongkamalasai of Thailand, losing 1-6, 1-6 in the process; and Mimma went down to second seed Sachie Umehara of Japan 5-7, 4-6.

Gunji will now face first seed Jeon Mi-ra of South Korea, who cruised into the quarterfinals with an easy 6-3, 6-2 win over Keiko Taguchi of Japan.

Orawan will play Chae Kyung-yee of South Korea, a 6-1, 6-0 winner over Japan's Tomoko Taira, in Friday's quarterfinals, while Umehara meets fellow Japanese Etsuko Yamada, who beat South Korean Hong Da-jung 4-6, 6-4, 6-3.

Indonesia's hopes for the men's singles title at the coinciding Men's Circuit-3 tournament also came crashing as its lone remaining player Dede Suhendar Dinata lost to second seed Donavan September of South Africa 6-2, 6-2 in the second round.

The home team opened up a chance to win the men's doubles title when Bonit Wiryawan and Sulistyo Wibowo came from behind to beat the pairing of Leigh Holland of Australia and Per Thorwadtsson of Sweden 4-6, 6-2, 6-0 for a place in the semifinals.

Indonesia's regular Davis Cup backbone of Bonit and Sulistyo are drawn to meet top seeds Mustaf Ghouse of India and Le Minh of the United States, who become the only foreign doubles left in the draw after edging out the South Korean pair of Lee Seung-hun and Oh Seung-hoon 6-4, 6-3.

Ghouse and Minh now stand between Indonesia and the men's doubles crown as the other semifinal is an all-local affair featuring Hendri Susilo Pramono/Febi Widhiyanto and Andrian Raturandang/Suwandi. (ivy)