Yayuk rises one place in world rankings

Yayuk rises one place in world rankings

JAKARTA (JP): Indonesian tennis queen Yayuk Basuki managed
only the slightest of improvements when the latest world rankings
were announced, despite her impressive performance last week.

The Women's Tennis Association put the 26-year-old Indonesian
in 30th place in the latest rankings issued in Florida, U.S., on
Wednesday. Yayuk stood 31st in the previous lists.

Monica Seles of the U.S. and Steffi Graf of Germany remain
jointly on top of the table they have been sharing since August
last year.

Bidding farewell to professional tennis this year, Yayuk stole
the limelight in the Canadian Open women's tennis championships
last week by taking the scalps of three seeded opponents on her
way to the semifinals. She beat world number four Iva Majoli of
Croatia, Amy Frazier of the U.S. and Elena Likhovtseva of Russia,
before falling to world co-number one Seles in the semifinals.

But on Tuesday, Yayuk slipped to a second-round defeat in the
Acura Classic, currently underway in Manhattan Beach, California.

Yayuk reached her career high ranking of 21 twice, in April
and November last year. Her ranking has yo-yoed considerably but
has never dropped outside the top 50 since she shot into the
elite group five years ago.

Her catalog of notable victims also include Argentina's
Gabriela Sabatini, whom she has beaten twice and Americans
Lindsay Davenport and Mary Joe Fernandez.

Yayuk will make her last U.S. Open appearance at the end of
this month. The last Grand Slam tournament of the season provides
Yayuk with sweet memories as she cruised to the women's doubles
semifinals there with her Japanese partner Nana Miyagi two years
ago. (amd)