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)