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.