Yayuk to plump for Asiad singles instead of the mixed doubles
Yayuk to plump for Asiad singles instead of the mixed doubles
JAKARTA (JP): Indonesia's best tennis player Yayuk Basuki has
decided to play in the women's singles at the 13th Asian Games in
Bangkok next month instead of the mixed doubles.
National tennis training director Benny Mailili told reporters
on Monday about Yayuk's decision which was made after she
returned from her European tour two weeks ago.
"We've heard that Japan's Ai Sugiyama will miss the Asiad. But
with or without Ai, I believe Yayuk still has a chance to win the
gold in the women's singles," Benny said.
Benny mentioned Wang Shi Ting of Chinese Taipei, Tamarine
Tanasugarn of Thailand, Li Fang of China and Park Sun-he of South
Korea as Yayuk's toughest rivals.
"The six players have equal opportunities in the event. They
also have the same chance in the women's doubles and women's
team," he said.
Yayuk, world ranked in the 40s, only won a bronze in the 1994
Asiad in Hiroshima, Japan. She also failed to win the gold in the
women's doubles with partner Romana Tedjakusuma.
She will also play in the women's doubles with junior Wynne
Prakusya, world ranked in the 200s.
Benny was optimistic that Indonesia would win at least one
gold from the women's events.
Unlike the 1994 Asiad, Indonesia will only field a men's duo
of Bonit Wiryawan and Sulistyo Wibowo instead of a men's team.
In the mixed doubles, new partnerships of Bonit and Irawati
Moerid Iskandar and Sulistyo and his younger sister Liza
Andriyani are expected to steal a medal.
Benny said the association should receive its training grant
from the National Sports Council this week, hopefully on
Wednesday.
The council has promised US$15,450 and Rp 9.3 million
(US$1,030) to cover overseas training stints.
Yayuk and her Dutch partner Caroline Vis will compete in the
US$2 million Chase Championships in Madison Square Garden, New
York, from Nov. 16 to Nov. 20. They are seeded eighth in the
season-ending tournament which is restricted to the world's top
12 women's singles players and doubles teams.
Preceding the Chase, Yayuk is also teaming up with Vis in the
Advanta Championship in Philadelphia from Nov. 9 to Nov. 15.
Wynne is competing in three $25,000 challengers in Australia
while Liza and Irawati will compete in a $10,000 satellite in
Manila.
Bonit and Sulistyo, along with teammate Andrian Raturandang,
will compete in the Men's Asia Cup Championship in New Delhi from
Nov. 24 to Nov. 29.
The Indonesian Boxing Association secretary-general, Didiet
Soedijoto, said that the training in Cuba of four national boxers
over the last two months was going well
The four boxers are Hermansen Ballo (featherweight), Damianus
Jordan (flyweight), Bara Gomies (welterweight) and Albert
Papilaya (middleweight). They have been overseen by Cuban coach
Julio Lee Hechavarria and local coach Wiem Gomies.
Didiet showed a fax from Hechavarria saying that all the
boxers had shown "great form technically, physically and
tactically".
Three other boxers, Martin Sihombing (bantamweight), Wilpare
Jamhur (lightweight) and Willem Papilaya (welterweight) are being
trained in Jakarta. (yan)