Wynne closer to Toray tennis main stage
Wynne closer to Toray tennis main stage
The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
Indonesian Wynne Prakusya moved a step closer to the main
stage of the US$1.224 million Toray Pan Pacific tennis tournament
after advancing to the final qualifying match at the Indoor
Metropolitan Gymnasium in Tokyo on Sunday.
Wynne beat sixth seed Cara Black of Zimbabwe, ranked 73 in the
WTA (Women's Tennis Association), 6-3, 7-5, and will now face
American 42nd-ranked Alexandra Stevenson.
Taking to the court, Wynne and Black were involved in power
rallies from the baseline, Benny Mailili, from the Indonesian
Tennis Association (Pelti) said here in a release.
On 2-2, Wynne, who relied on her forehand and backhand slice
combined with accurate volleying, broke Black's serve in the
fifth game.
Wynne looked cunning in forcing her opponent to abandon some
space for the Indonesian to launch a blistering attack. The
tactics worked.
After conceding another game, Wynne, whose Australian Open
dream was spoilt as early as in the opening round, ended the
first set with a break for a 6-3.
Wynne promptly pulled off a 2-0 lead in the second set in
which the tempo of play heightened. Black began to try to be
offensive by making forward moves frequently to the net in an
attempt to ambush Wynne's second serves, which were somewhat
lame.
The following games saw a see-saw encounter, but still Wynne
kept Black at bay until after eight games when the two were
pegged at 4-4 and then 5-5.
Wynne was back in the driving seat with an 11th game win. She
broke Black's serve in the final game to seal the set 7-5 and the
one hour 35 minutes match.
"The second set was very tight. Cara Black seemed to be able
to target my second serve," Benny quoted Wynne as saying after
the match.
"Luckily, she was at times caught out by her misjudgments,
which resulted in her drive either straying out or fumbling on
the net.
"I played relaxedly today, no nerves. She is a good player but
I managed to force long rallies before pressurizing her with
forehand crosses.
"These kind of shots really gave me points today," said Wynne,
who is Indonesia's number one after the retirement of Yayuk
Basuki.
In the final, she takes on big-serving Stevenson, a 6-2, 6-4
winner over Abigail Spears. The main stage of the tournament
starts on Tuesday.
"Wynne does have a chance to beat Stevenson provided that she
can diffuse the American's big serve," Benny said, adding that
her serve could reach around 150 kilometers per hour.