Yayuk ousted in Beijing quarters

JAKARTA (JP): Top seed and defending champion Yayuk Basuki of Indonesia could not survive a wild game, crashing out of the Nokia Open quarterfinals in Beijing yesterday.

The Indonesian world number 25 produced a superb fight-back after a first-set blanking, but it was not enough to overcome a high-spirited Linda Wild, who won the match 6-0, 7-5.

A self-confident Wild took charge with her consistent serves and thumping ground strokes, pinning Yayuk on her baseline throughout the match. To make matters worse, Yayuk drilled belting unforced errors into the power play.

"It was a disappointing game. I had not even found my feet on the court when she shocked me with her strokes," Yayuk told Antara after the match, which lasted one-and-a-half hours.

"We cannot always develop a game as planned. There is time to lose," Yayuk said.

Despite her natural talent, Yayuk carried has had an erratic record this season. She has not won any title this year but sprang many surprises by upsetting opponents ranked among the world's top 10.

Wild, who triumphed in Nagoya last week, is ranked 64 places below Yayuk. "You cannot judge someone's standard by simply looking at her ranking. Linda and I are equals," Yayuk said of her rival, whom she had never met before.

Wild dropped her ranking sharply last year after her defeat in Eastbourne, a traditional warm-up tournament for Wimbledon.

Yayuk, however, won a consolation in the doubles. Partnering Karin Kschwendt of Germany, Yayuk beat American pair Stephanie Reece and Danielle Scott 2-6, 6-3, 6-2 to reach the quarterfinals.

The Indonesian women's singles number one looks certain to lose considerable ranking points due to her upset loss in Beijing. She earlier refused a wild-card entry to play in Surabaya, East Java, saying that she risked losing big points if she failed to win the title there. (amd)