Wukirasih reaches quarterfinals, while other home players flop
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)