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.