Wynne helps RI women court triumph in Angie's absence

Bruce Emond The Jakarta Post/Jakarta

With national number one women's player Angelique "Angie" Widjaja waylaid by injury for the whole year, no great shakes were expected from the country's tennis scene.

The former Wimbledon and Roland Garros junior champion underwent surgery on her right knee in November 2004, and was out of commission for the rest of 2005. An expected return for the U.S. hardcourt season in August-September was postponed when the 21 year old developed an infection in her knee, and she was only able to return to training in November.

Angie, with a WTA Tour special singles ranking of 118, will start her return by competing in small Challenger tournaments in the new year, although she may also seek a wildard into the Toray Pan Pacific Tier 1 tournament in February, her manager Virginia Rusli said last week.

In her stead, Wynne Prakusya, herself returning to play after a six-month layoff due to a knee injury suffered at the 2004 National Games, was able to hold her own during the year, especially in an outstanding end-of-the-year performance.

The 24 year old from Surakarta returned to the court in April, but, still rusty in matchplay, promptly suffered a 2-6, 0-6 thrashing by Anna Lena Groenefeld in the first match of the Fed Cup tie against Germany in Essen.

The Indonesian women, also including veteran Romana Tedjakusuma and teenager Ayu Fani Damayanti, lost 1-4 to the higher-ranked host team, but the year was to get decidedly better.

All of 1.6 meters tall and 50 kilograms, Wynne went from strength to strength, and was key in Indonesia's away victory over Puerto Rico in the Fed Cup World Group II playoffs.

The team silenced doubters who said they would be unable to overcome Puerto Rico, fielding world number 68 Kristina Brandi, without Angie.

The tie hinged on Wynne's straight sets victory over Brandi as the Indonesian team -- also including Romana and Ayu -- won 4-1.

With her Puerto Rico victories, Wynne surpassed former world top 20 player Yayuk Basuki in total wins (61), singles wins (31) and doubles wins (31) for an Indonesian player since the country began competing in the then Federation Cup in 1969.

The team will face China in Jakarta in April.

Despite a first-round loss in the Wismilak International in Nusa Dua, Bali, in September, Wynne came back in December at the 23rd Southeast Asian (SEA) Games to achieve a rare "triple crown" of three gold medals.

Wynne, Romana and Ayu won the women's team gold by beating defending champion Thailand, before Wynne defeated Romana in an all-Indonesian women's final for her first singles gold in five Games outings.

Wynne and Romana then joined forces in the women's doubles to beat Ayu and Septi Mende for her third gold, a feat only achieved by three other Indonesian players.

Wynne, with Suwandi, also reached the mixed doubles final.

"I've been feeling better and better recently. I take pride in the fact that I have won 12 titles this year, four in singles and eight in doubles, since April," Wynne, whose last Challenger title came in Jakarta in November, told The Jakarta Post during the SEA Games.

Wynne, who started the year ranked 339 but ended it at 240, attributed her improved play to her training regimen with American technical consultant Bill Tym, who was a U.S. nationally ranked player in the 1960s.

"I have improved my service with him. He has also given me valuable tips on the mental side of the game," she said.

Ayu, who made her Fed Cup debut against Germany and turned 17 in November, is already showing potential, with wins in the Cigna and Hemaviton Challenger events earlier this year.

The success of the women was not followed by the national men's players, who suffered their third 2-3 Davis Cup loss in four years to the younger, higher ranked players from Uzbekistan in Jakarta in March.

Still reliant on Suwandi, 29, and Prima Simpatiaji, 24, in singles, and 37-year-old Bonit Wiryawan in doubles, the men also went down to Thailand 1-4 in the Asia-Oceania Group 1 relegation tie later in the year.

The men also failed to win a gold at the SEA Games, with team offiicals blaming biased judging for the host team, filled with American-born players of Philippine descent.

Notably absent Febi Widhiyanto, who was not called up for the Davis Cup tie against Uzbekistan because, the National Tennis Association (Pelti) said, he did not arrive in time for training. Although Febi, 25, defeated national number one Prima in the Hemaviton Cup in Jakarta, he also did not earn a place on the SEA Games team.

Febi is coached by Deddy Prasetyo, the former coach of Prima, who has not always seen eye to eye with Pelti.

There are some bright prospects in the men's game, including Sunu Wahyu Trijati, 18, who was included in the Davis Cup and SEA Games squads in doubles.

All-court player Christopher Rungkat, who will turn 15 in January and is currently ranked 182nd in the world for junior boys, is being groomed for the French Open juniors in June, his coach Deddy Prasetyo said earlier this month.