Youth to be served in Uzbekistan Davis Cup team
Musthofid, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
In a surprising move, Uzbekistan has chosen youth over experience for its Davis Cup Asia-Oceania Group I tie against Indonesia beginning on Friday.
The visitors will field Cup first-timers Denis Istomin and Farrukh Dustov, both 19. Based on Wednesday's draw conducted by referee David Crymble of New Zealand, Istomin will meet 29-year- old Suwandi, while Dustov plays Prima Simpatiaji, 24, in the opening day's singles matches on the main hard court in Senayan, Central Jakarta.
Indonesia's nonplaying captain Tintus Arianto Wibowo was among those surprised by the omission of Vadim Kutsenko -- a member of Uzbekistan's team in two previous wins over Indonesia -- from the singles lineup.
Vadim is only slated to play in Saturday's doubles with Murad Inoyatov against Suwandi and veteran Bonit Wiryawan, with the reverse singles matches to be played on Sunday.
Despite the higher rankings of the Uzbeks, Tintus was heartened by the draw and the reliance on the young players.
"They have taken on a challenge by fielding young players. I hope Suwandi and Prima can draw on their experience to push their way to victory," Tintus said.
Suwandi, who has played in the Davis Cup since 1993, did not want to rate his chances.
"I will play as best I can," said Suwandi, who is playing the tie despite the death of his grandmother on Saturday.
Vadim, 28, said he was recovering from a respiratory infection and the Jakarta tie would provide a good opportunity for the younger players to gain experience.
"I hadn't practiced for two weeks because of an infectious virus inside her," Vadim said while pointing to his chest.
"I only resumed training on Saturday last week. I'm feeling better but I'm not in good shape to play the singles. I would love to play in the singles."
He believed Istomin and Dustov would rise to the occasion.
"They are strong players. They have been playing in many tournaments in Europe with good results."
The teams are playing each other for the third time since 2001 after Uzbekistan lost to Thailand 4-1 in the Group I semifinals while Indonesia crushed New Zealand 5-0 in playoffs last year.
Vadim said he was used to Jakarta's hot weather after playing here in individual tournaments and in the Davis Cup in 2001.
"Our problem is that we have to play outdoors while we have been practicing indoor in Tashkent because of the freezing weather. It's not good for us."
Meanwhile, in Carson, California, Andre Agassi, at age 35 and a father of two, is still able to carve out time to play for his country after a five-year absence.
Agassi, a member of three U.S. Davis Cup champions, will join Andy Roddick and the doubles team of Mike and Bob Bryan as they try to end America's 10-year losing streak by taking on Croatia.
"I think that when you get older, your capacity to embrace special moments grows," Agassi said on Tuesday. "I certainly feel that way this week.
"Coming here, I even requested from the home front a few extra days to be able to enjoy being around the guys and getting to know them better. That speaks to my enthusiasm about this environment and how much I've missed it."