Wynne helps RI women court triumph in Angie's absence

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.