Yayuk signs contract with American company

Yayuk signs contract with American company

JAKARTA (JP): Indonesia's top women's tennis player Yayuk
Basuki yesterday signed a two-year deal with Chicago-based Wilson
Sporting Goods.

The contract, Yayuk said, was part of her annual, US$200,000
contract with the Hong Kong-based Spectrum which manages Yayuk's
schedule. The Indonesian signed a three-year deal with Spectrum
last year.

Yayuk, currently ranked number 28 in the world by the Women's
Tennis Association, chose not to disclose the terms of the new
contract.

Mohan Pothera, Wilson's director for Asia-Pacific, when
pressed by reporters to reveal the amount, reluctantly replied,
"More than $10,000."

Mohan said his company was interested in Yayuk because "she
has shown a stable performance after using the rackets produced
by our company."

Mohan added Wilson will launch a racket to be named "Hammer
5.2" with Yayuk's signature on it.

Yayuk becomes the second non-Japanese Asian tennis player to
sign on with the American company. Previously, Wilson had agreed
to a similar contract with Taiwanese number one Wang Shi-ting.

Yayuk was formerly bound by a contract with Japan-based sports
equipment manufacturer, Yonex. (arf)