Wukirasih to join SEA Games tennis squad

JAKARTA (JP): Wukirasih Sawondari, the 1997 Southeast Asian (SEA) Games gold medalist, will likely join seniors Romana Tedjakusuma and Liza Andriyani on the team for the 20th SEA Games team after two more wins on Friday in the four-day national selection at Kemayoran Tennis Center.

Wukirasih holds a win-loss record of four matches to two after she beat Angelique Widjaja 6-1, 6-2 and veteran Irawati Moerid Iskandar 6-7 (3-7), 6-2, 7-5. She is heavily favored to beat junior Dea Sumantri on Saturday.

Irawati, a former member of Indonesia's Fed Cup, Asian Games and SEA Games teams, had three wins and one loss before losing both of her matches on Friday. She also lost to Romana 6-4, 0-6, 0-6.

Romana, who recently returned from studying in Louisiana in the U.S., continued to show the form which led to a world ranking in the low 90s several years ago. Earlier on Friday she also defeated Liza 6-2, 6-0.

Liza was stretched in defeating young hopeful Frederika Girsang 7-6 (7-2), 7-6 (7-5).

Liza, Romana and Wukirasih will join Wynne Prakusya, whose world ranking in the 190s automatically earned her a berth on the team.

The four-day selection -- featuring Irawati, Wukirasih, Liza, Dea, Frederika, Angelique and Romana -- will conclude on Saturday.

In the Men's Indonesian Fertilizer Future 3, Suhendar Dinata reached the quarterfinals thanks to Yusmawan Fahmi who defaulted because of his commitment to the Universiade in Mallorca, Spain.

Suhendar will face third seeded Willem-Peter Meyer of South Africa, who beat Jed Gould of Australia 6-2, 6-2.

Top seeded Hideki Kaneko of Japan eliminated seventh seeded Jaco Van Der West of South Africa 6-3, 6-3. Kaneko will meet second seeded Vadim Kutsenko of Uzbekistan, who whitewashed Sebastian Da Costa of Indonesia 6-0, 6-0.

In the men's doubles, the Indonesian pair of Febi Widhiyanto and Hendri Susilo Pramono reached the quarterfinals after beating Australians Blake Brinklow and Troy Hargreaves 6-4, 6-0. They now face Rik De Voest of South Africa and Marcel Du Courdray of Mauritius, who defeated Steven Bourke of Australia and Van Der West 6-4, 2-6, 6-3.

Third seeded Bonit Wiryawan and Sulistyo Wibowo also reached the quarters after beating compatriots Suwandi and Surya Wijaya 7-5, 6-2. The Indonesians will face second seeded Timur Ganiev and Kutsenko of Uzbekistan, who beat the home team of Fermi Fauzi and Naharudin 6-3, 6-3.(yan)