Yayuk survives thriller to go to second round

JAKARTA (JP): Tennis fans supported their heroine Yayuk Basuki with cheers and grumbles as she survived a thrilling first-round match against American Janet Lee in the Danamon Indonesia Women's Open tennis championships yesterday.

Yayuk, whose world ranking has slipped to 42, trailed in each set before claiming a hard-earned 6-4, 7-6 (7-4) win, and later admitted that the match did not go as she had expected.

"Janet was very solid and I could not easily keep up with the game she played. It was a confidence boosting win, anyway," 25- year-old Yayuk said in a post-match press conference.

The Indonesian tennis queen delighted the 500-strong home crowd at the Senayan tennis stadium with her trademark combinations of explosive serves, thundering cross-court forehands and deep backhand slices. They were not enough, however, to tame a never-say-die Lee, who thwarted Yayuk with killing groundstrokes and brilliant reflexes.

The 20-year-old American, a qualifier whose ranking is 130 places below Yayuk's, silenced the victory-hungry crowd with a break to go 3-1 up in the first set.

Yayuk came back with a flurry of forehand winners, but needed two break points before leveling the tie. It was clear then, that, despite consistent play from Lee, Yayuk was taking control of the match. The Indonesian produced another break before finishing the set on her own serve.

A double fault cost Yayuk a game to fall 0-3 behind in the second set. It took Yayuk two change-overs to regain ground, despite getting vociferous support from her restless fans.

Both baseliners traded ponderous forehands during long rallies in the next few games which saw Yayuk pull a level at 4-4. The power play continued, but it cost Lee her game.

Serving for the match, Yayuk moved up to the net, only to see her volleys hit the cord, which pushed the set into a tiebreak. Yayuk wasted another four match points, before a wide lob from Lee wrapped up the action.

In today's second-round match Yayuk, three-times winner here, takes on Maria Vento of Venezuela, who scored a straight-sets 7- 5, 6-2 win over Anabel Ellwood of Australia yesterday.

There were no upsets in yesterday's matches, but seeded players were forced to work hard en route to the second round.

Seventh seed Laurence Courtoise of Belgium joined compatriot and top seed Sabine Appelmans in the next round after beating American qualifier Kimberly Po 6-2, 4-6, 6-4.

Courtoise now sets up an all-Belgian clash in the second-round today as she meets Nancy Feber who made short work of Indonesian wild card recipient Agustin Limanto 6-0, 6-1 later yesterday.

Agustin's early exit means that Indonesia's hopes of the title in the US$164,250 tournament lie solely on Yayuk's shoulders.

Belgian players are making a trip here for a tune-up for their Federation Cup Group One first round match against a Yayuk-led team on April 27, to be played on the rebound-ace court at the Senayan tennis complex.

American eighth seed Ann Grossman also dropped a set in her 2- 6, 6-2, 6-2 victory over Petra Kamstra of the Netherlands. Grossman faces Naoko Kijimuta of Japan, a 6-2, 6-4 winner over Rachel McQuillan of Australia.

Linda Wild of the United States was the only seeded player to stroll into the next round without much effort. The fifth seed breezed past Miho Saeki of Japan 6-3, 6-4. (05/amd)