Yayuk labors to semi finals in Eastbourne
Yayuk labors to semi finals in Eastbourne
EASTBOURNE, England (Agencies): Indonesian tennis queen Yayuk
Basuki gloriously progressed to the semi-final of the pre-
Wimbledon women's grass tournament by whipping Italian 'giant
killer' Silvia Farina in a heroic three-setter 7-6 (7-5), 4-6, 6-
4.
The match was nerve-wracking from the very first set, in which
the Indonesian grass-court specialist showed masterful strokes
and graceful foot-work.
Yayuk, looking ominously fatigued, lost the second set but
reemerged in undoubtedly first rate form to seize the day.
Her opponent Farina also proved her grit by refusing to lay
down against her more formidable opponent.
Farina, who put out Gabriela Sabatini in the first-round at
the French Open, eliminated third-seed Kimiko Date of Japan here
in the second-round on Tuesday.
On Wednesday, Yayuk unexpectedly neutralized fifth seed Czech
Helena Sukova in a similarly heroic straight set of 6-2, 7-6 (7-
3).
Yayuk's powerful hits dominated the first set entirely. After
3-2, the Indonesian numero uno was unstoppable.
The Czech, however, came back in the second set at the third
game after a two-game deficit and transformed it to a 3-2 lead.
An intense duel followed, in which the two players exchanged
powerful serves and deadly returns.
Although Yayuk managed to get to match point at 5-4, but the
determined Sukova broke her serve and drew the tense game to a
tie-breaker, in which the Indonesian ace demonstrated an
aggressiveness which annihilated Sukova.
Pierce
Meanwhile, French Open finalist Mary Pierce had her Wimbledon
preparations cut short yesterday when she lost in the second
round of the under-21 event at the Eastbourne women's grass court
event.
Ludmila Varmuzova, a 15-year-old Czech based in San Marino,
beat the 19-year-old Frenchwoman 6-4 6-4.
It was a lifetime-best victory for the world number 639 who
has scraped together career earnings of about US$1,500 compared
with the one million dollars or more already banked by
Wimbledon's seventh seed.
"It's a very good day and I am very happy because it was my
first opportunity to play against a very good player in the
world," said Varmuzova, who moved to San Marino six months ago
after a dispute with the Czech tennis federation.
Navratilova
Martina Navratilova got a pre-Wimbledon fright when she looked
on the verge of crashing out of the tourney to unseeded Laura
Golarsa.
Navratilova, the Wimbledon fourth seed, lost the opening set
6-2 in gusty winds but the 37-year-old held her nerve to come
back and eventually outplay her Italian opponent and reach the
quarterfinals.
Golarsa, ranked 95th in the world, unleashed a series of
stunning passing shots to take the first set 6-2. But she won
only three more games as Navratilova surged back to victory.
Unlike the nine-times Wimbledon champion, Golarsa could not
contain her anger as her performance dipped.
Trailing 0-3 in the third set she disputed a call on a first
serve and when her second effort was also faulted she angrily
blasted the ball into the crowd. The incident earned her an
official warning for ball abuse.